Many people think spirituality has nothing to do with success or accomplishing - that it's something you do with removal, with leaving the world.

When we are using this term 'basic goodness,' we are talking about our inherent completeness.

It seems we all agree that training the body through exercise, diet, and relaxation is a good idea, but why don't we think about training our mind?

If you want to be miserable, think of yourself. If you want to be happy, think of others.

What is really happening in meditation is that we are developing the ability to think when we want to, and to not think when we don’t want to.

The first thing you have to do is acknowledge the basic and fundamental goodness of all beings. If you don't, then you are going to have conflict. That's at the core of Shambhala.

You need to eat well, sleep well, and have a roof over your head, but don’t go much further than that before extending yourself to others.