It is often said that the Buddha's teaching is only a raft to help you cross the river, a finger pointing to the moon. Don't maistake the finger for the moon. The raft is not the shore. If we cling to the raft, if we cling to the finger, we miss everything. We cannot, in the name of the finger or the raft kill each other. Human life is more precious than any ideology, any doctrine.

But if we have the energy of compassion and loving kindness in us, the people around us will be influenced by our way of being and living.

I am determined to practice deep listening. I am determined to practice loving speech.

Be mindful 24 hours a day, not just during the one hour you may allot for formal meditation or reading scripture and reciting prayers. Each act must be carried out in mindfulness.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.

A real love letter is made of insight, understanding, and compassion. Otherwise it's not a love letter. A true love letter can produce a transformation in the other person, and therefore in the world. But before it produces a transformation in the other person, it has to produce a transformation within us. Some letters may take the whole of our lifetime to write.

To meditate with mindful breathing is to bring body and mind back to the present moment so that you do not miss your appointment with life.