love naturally flourishes within us.
-- The Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, "The Heart is Noble: Changing the World
from the Inside Out"
+~
+ Day and night, night and day we spend our lives in the company of the
+afflictions, generating desire for the pleasant and anger at the unpleasant,
+and continue thus even when dreaming, unable to remain relaxed, our minds
+completely and utterly mixed with thoughts of desire and hatred without
+interruption.
+ To what refuge should we go? A source of refuge must have completely
+overcome all defects forever; it must be free of all faults. It must also
+have all the attributes of altruism—those attainments which are necessary
+for achieving others' welfare. For it is doubtful that anyone lacking these
+two prerequisites can bestow refuge; it would be like falling into a ditch and
+asking another who is in it to help you out. You need to ask someone who is
+standing outside the ditch for help; it is senseless to ask another who is in
+the same predicament. A refuge capable of protecting from the frights of
+manifold sufferings cannot also be bound in this suffering but must be free
+and unflawed. Furthermore, the complete attainments are necessary, for if you
+have fallen into a ditch, it is useless to seek help from someone standing
+outside it who does not wish to help or who wishes to help but has no means to
+do so.
+ Only a Buddha has extinguished all faults and gained all attainments.
+Therefore, one should mentally go for refuge to a Buddha, praise him with
+speech, and respect him physically. One should enter the teaching of such a
+being.
+ -- H.H. the Dalai Lama