Where we tended to be judgmental, we became more judgmental of ourselves in our spiritual practice.

Yes, there are troubles in the world. There's war and hatred, there's sickness and difficulty. And there is also an undying spirit, an inviolable consciousness that is born in each of us. It is who we are, and it's everything and it's nothing.

Every individual in the world has a unique contribution.

In sitting on the meditation cushion and assuming the meditation posture, we connect ourselves with the present moment in this body and on this earth.

Gratitude is the confidence in life itself... As gratitude grows it gives rise to joy. We experience the courage to rejoice in our own good fortune and in the good fortune of others... We can be joyful for people we love, for moments of goodness, for sunlight and trees, and for the very breath within our lungs. Like an innocent child, we can rejoice in life itself, in being alive.

Through practice, gently and gradually we can collect ourselves and learn how to be more fully with what we do.

The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems become the very place to discover wisdom and love.