In Buddhism, there is one word for mind & heart: Chitta. Chitta refers not just to thoughts and emotions in the narrow sense of arising from the brain, but also to the whole range of consciousness, vast & unimpeded.

That is what compassion does. It challenges our assumptions, our sense of self-limitation, worthlessness, of not having a place in the world. As we develop compassion, our hearts open.

The costs of keeping secrets include our growing isolation due to fear of detection and the ways we shut down inside to avoid feeling the effects of our behavior. We can never afford to be truly seen and known even by ourselves.

Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we're adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.

Each decision we make, each action we take is born out of an intention...The momentary urges that shape what we do are intentions, as are the convictions and aspirations we hold.

Intention is not just about will—or about resolutions we make on New Year's Eve with shaky hope in our hearts— but about our overall everyday vision, what we long for, what we believe is possible for us.

We can always begin again.

I need to start over. I can’t just stay stuck in this place.” This is a wonderful skill to bring to your life.

Desire- grasping, clinging, greed, attachment – is a state of mind that defines what we think we need in order to be happy. We project all of our hopes and dreams of fulfillment onto some object of our attention. This may be a certain activity or outcome, a particular thing or person. Deluded by our temporary enchantment, we view the world with tunnel vision. That object, and that alone, will make us happy.

Meditation can be a refuge, but it is not a practice in which real life is ever excluded. The strength of mindfulness is that it enables us to hold difficult thoughts and feelings in a different way – with awareness, balance, and love.