The practices of loving kindness, compassion, and equanimity offer no promise of a happy ending. These practices are not about avoiding uncertainty and fear but how we relate to discomfort. They teach us how to practice with everyday difficulties, and with our emotions.
The affairs of the world and our involvement in them are hard to brush away or equally hard to hold on to. If you want tranquility and peace, practice withdrawal from them for short periods of time and you will find stillness and happiness in those times.
To eliminate the vexation of the mind don’t do anything. Simply avoid being attached to what you see and think, relinquish the notion that you are separate from the universe. Then you will be able to see through all illusions and be aware of everything.
We should not try to combat our own faults directly. The longer and harder we fight them, the more victorious they will be. Fight our faults by making progress in the good is the only way. Take care not to become hardened and obstinate, remain receptive to impressions by continuous self-examination.
Quote: One thing I know for sure is that I know nothing. Socrates