A prerequisite to empathy is simply paying attention to the person in pain.

There are a host of surprises among longer-term meditators, like a boost in the immune system from a day of practice, which is not seen in beginners, and a rapid recovery from stress or pain. At the "Olympic level" we find there is no anticipatory anxiety when the stress of pain is certain to come, and no lingering aftereffects - unlike the stress reactions in ordinary folk.

It is difficult to spread the contagion of excitement without having a sense of purpose and direction.

While there I began to study the Asian religions as theories of mind.

We learn best with focused attention. As we focus on what we're learning, the brain maps that information on what we already know making new neural connections

Emotional intelligence begins to develop in the earliest years. All the small exchanges children have with their parents, teachers, and with each other carry emotional messages.

I don't think focus is in itself ever a bad thing. But focus of the wrong kind, or managed poorly, can be.