“With a clear intention and a willing spirit, sooner or later we experience the joy and freedom that arises when we recognize our common humanity with others and see that real love excludes no one.”

In those moments when we realize how much we cannot control, we can learn to let go.

Effort is the unconstrained willingness to persevere through difficulty.

Even when we do our very best to treat those close to us with utmost respect and understanding, conflict happens. That’s life. That’s human nature.

If we turn away from our own pain, we may find ourselves projecting this aversion onto others, seeing them as somehow inadequate for being in a troubled situation.

over time, offering loving kindness to all beings everywhere, including ourselves, unites us to one another so that we know that we can not go forward forgetting those left behind.

We don’t need any sort of religious orientation to lead a life that is ethical, compassionate & kind.

While happiness is an end in itself, it is also the state of mind we can have right now.

Mindfulness is the agent of our freedom. Through mindfulness we arrive at faith we grow in wisdom & we attain equanimity.

People turn to meditation because they want to make good decisions, break bad habits & bounce back better from disappointments.

For any marginalized group to change the story that society tells about them takes courage and perseverance.

Vulnerability in the face of constant change is what we share, whatever our present condition.

Forgiveness is a personal process that doesn’t depend on us having direct contact with the people who have hurt us.

If we truly loved ourselves, we’d never harm another. That is a truly revolutionary, celebratory mode of self-care.

Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

Meditation may be done in silence & stillness, by using voice & sound, or by engaging the body in movement. All forms emphasize the training of attention.

When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.

My own experience is that you get as much information as you can and then you pay attention to your intuition, to your informed instinct.

The world, the future, is now within you as your past, as experience, skill in technique, and the rich, everlasting mystery is found to be childish you that, at the time, you made no effort to possess.

Do not take life’s experiences too seriously. For in reality they are nothing but dream experiences. Play your part in life, but never forget that it is only a role.

Would you really dig into yesterday’s garbage to make tonight’s meal? Do you dig into yesterday’s mental garbage to create today’s experiences?

Meditation is not a selfish thing. Even though you’re diving in and experiencing the Self, you’re not closing yourself off from the world. You’re strengthening yourself, so that you can be more effective when you go back into the world.

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God.

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

I’ve got a lot of experience with anorexia – my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it. I know it’s not something to be taken lightly and I don’t.