The experience of going to the other side to nirvana clarifies and simplifies your view of all things. You see the world with greater clarity, because it is not obscured by illusions.

Initially there's absolutely nothing.

When you draw from the endless awareness of nirvana, you are no longer a slave to fortune. When pleasant experiences come your way, you can enjoy them. But if pain and misfortune befall you, you can rise above them and remain unaffected.

In Buddhist practice a great deal of time is spent practicing mandala meditation. You learn to visualize and hold simultaneous concepts in the mind during meditation.

I see people driving cars, winding down the streets. I don't know where these people think they're going. They're going to the funeral home; that's about it.

Every time you sit down to meditate, you have to sit down with a resolve to win. You are going to sit there and will your mind to be happy, quiet and still.

You can be locked away in prison and be free if your mind is not a prison. Or you can be walking around with lots of credit cards and be in a prison, the prison of your own mind, the prison of your illusions.