The cultivation of generosity is the beginning of spiritual awakening. Generosity has tremendous force because it arises from an inner quality of letting go. Being able to let go, to give up, to renounce, and to give generously all spring from the same source, and when we practice generosity ... we open up these qualities within ourselves.

Some people have a mistaken idea that all thoughts disappear through meditation and we enter a state of blankness. There certainly are times of great tranquility when concentration is strong and we have few, if any, thoughts. But other times, we can be flooded with memories, plans or random thinking. It's important not to blame yourself.

We all want to be happy. We need to expand the notion of what that means, to make it bigger and wiser.

With the practice of meditation we can develop this ability to more fully love ourselves and to more consistently love others.

We learn and grow and are transformed not so much by what we do but by why and how we do it.

Meditation is a cyclical process that defies analysis, but demands acceptance.

I call myself a meditation teacher rather than a spiritual teacher.