Meditation practice is not about later, when you get it all together and you’re this person you really respect.

Meditation is a totally nonviolent, nonaggressive occupation.

IN practicing meditation, we’re not trying to live up to some kind of ideal—quite the opposite.

Meditation is just gently coming back again and again to what's right here.

We can't control what's going to happen but we can grow in awareness of what is happening.

Meditation takes us just as we are, with our confusion and our sanity. This complete acceptance of ourselves as we are is called maitri, or unconditional friendliness, a simple, direct relationship with the way we are.

The calligraphy reads, “Pointing directly at your own heart, you find Buddha.” Listening to talks about the dharma, or the teachings of Buddha, or practicing meditation is nothing other than studying ourselves.

Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better.

In sitting meditation, we train in mindfulness and unconditional friendliness: in being steadfast with our bodies, our emotions, our thoughts.