Pema Chödrön

So when we say, "I take refuge in the Buddha," that means I take refuge in the courage and the potential of fearlessness, or removing all the armor that covers this awareness of mine. I am awake; I will spend my life taking this armor off. Nobody else can take it off because nobody else knows where all the little locks are, nobody else knows where it's sewed up tight, where it's going to take a lot of work to get that particular iron thread untied. You have to do it alone. The basic instruction is simple: Start taking off that armor. That's all anyone can tell you. No one can tell you how to do it because you're the only one who knows how you locked yourself in there to start.

Bodhichitta is available in moments of caring for things, when we clean our glasses or brush our hair. It’s available in moments of appreciation, when we notice the blue sky or pause and listen to the rain. It’s available in moments of gratitude, when we recall a kindness or recognize another person’s courage. It’s available in music and dance, in art and in poetry. Whenever we let go of holding on to ourselves and look at the world around us, whenever we connect with joy, whenever we drop our resentment and complaint, in those moments bodhichitta is here.

Pema Chödrön, Comfortable with Uncertainty