“Mindful parenting is the hardest job on the planet, but it’s also one that has the potential for the deepest kinds of satisfactions over the life span, and the greatest feelings of interconnectedness and community and belonging.”

In any given moment we are either practicing mindfulness, or defacto, we are practicing mindlessness.

Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.

This is something called “walking meditation.” The goal is to learn to be aware of each and every movement and feeling. I know it seems ridiculous, but it does change the way you experience walking.

All the suffering, stress, and addiction comes from not realizing you already are what you are looking for.

Stillness, insight, and wisdom arise only when we can settle into being complete in this moment, without having to seek or hold on to or reject anything.

Too much of the education system orients students toward becoming better thinkers, but there is almost no focus on our capacity to pay attention and cultivate awareness.

The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.

Writing can be an incredible mindfulness practice.

So, in meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all.

In letting go of wanting something special to occur, maybe we can realize that something special is already occurring.

The real meditation is how you live your life.

Meditation is not about feeling a certain way. It’s about feeling the way you feel.

When awareness embraces the senses, it enlivens them.

Perhaps the most “spiritual” thing any of us can do is simply to look through our own eyes, see with eyes of wholeness, and act with integrity and kindness.

From the point of view of the meditative traditions the entire society is suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Perhaps we just need little reminders from time to time that we are already dignified, deserving, worthy.

Happiness doesn’t come from commercial success but from the quality of work that you give back to your immediate community.

If you want to become healthy, you have to surround yourself with a group of people that are getting healthy and you have to be connected to a community that is doing what you want to do.

Twenty million Russians are Muslims.

Drugs ruin peoples lives, break up families and have disastrous effects on our communities.

And in this community, as in all others, the Golden Rule still applies – we must be act toward other nations as we would have them act towards America.

The Iranians know what they need to do in order to become a responsible member of the international community and in order to become a good neighbor, and it’s really up to them to change their behavior.

America has a critical role to play as the most powerful member of the world community.

For me it’s more important to look at each constituency individually and find a community