It is essential in the beginning of practice to acknowledge that the path is personal and intimate.  It is no good to examine it from a distance as if it were someone else's.  You must walk it for yourself.  In this spirit, you invest yourself in the your practice, confident of your heritage, and train earnestly side by side with your sisters and brothers.  It is this engagement that brings peace and realization.

from The Teacher in Everything, Robert Aitken Roshi