Whether we live as laity or in a monastery, there is a sacred path open for all to explore. Yet few would brave its fierce tests. How we train and incline the mind will naturally determine our spiritual growth. So the Buddha encouraged us to go to the forest, to seek seclusion from devices, worldly concerns and attachments. These cannot rescue us from mental sufferings; nor from ageing, disease or dying. . . because it’s about pure love – an unearthly love that never dies – and the gift of true safety, peace, and transcendent awareness of our true nature. As this knowing dawns in the heart, we are freed from every kind of suffering. No riches, no power, nothing in this wide universe can offer such blessings. Ottawa Buddhist Society, May 2017