From Chapter 4 ("Three Gateways to Refuge") of Tara Brach's True Refuge, thoughts on "the universal path of awakening":
... For me, the words that best capture the spirit of these gateways are "truth," "love," and "awareness." Truth is the living reality that is revealed in the present moment; love is the felt sense of connectedness or oneness with all life; and awareness is the silent wakefulness behind all experience, the consciousness that is reading these words, listening to sounds, perceiving sensations and feelings. Each of these gateways is a fundamental part of who we are; each is a refuge because it is always here, embedded in our own being.
Brach offers a summary table:
The Outer and Inner Aspects of Refuge
| OUTER REFUGE | INNER REFUGE |
|---|---|
| TRUTH Meditation; Ethics; Teachings | Realizing the nature of reality; embodying living presence |
| LOVE Conscious relationships with self and other | Realizing oneness; embodying loving presence |
| AWARENESS Inspirational spiritual figures | Realizing and embodying empty, luminous awareness |
Those three big themes lead to the three major sections of the book True Refuge ...
(cf. So I Will See (2016-03-27), Mantra - Worthy of Love (2016-07-24), Mantra - Forgiven (2016-08-02), Wakeful, Open, Tender (2016-08-25), ...) - ^z - 2016-09-05