The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness

The body of meditation, it’s said, is nondistraction. Whatever thoughts are perceived by the mind are nothing in themselves. Help this meditator who rests naturally in the essence of whatever thoughts arise to rest in the mind as it naturally is.

By this power, may all beings, Having accumulated strength and wisdom, Achieve the two clear states That arise from strength and wisdom.

if they’ve taken their training seriously enough, they’re shifting around, scratching, and so on mindfully—bringing their attention to the sensation of the itch, the sensation of scratching it, and the relief they feel when they’re done scratching.

When you come up against resistance, just remember the story about how the old cow pees while walking along throughout the day. That should be enough to bring a smile to your face and remind you that practicing is as easy, and as necessary, as relieving yourself.

You can even meditate while sleeping or dreaming. As you fall asleep, you can either rest your mind in objectless meditation or gently rest your attention on the feeling of sleepiness.

But the mind is always moving, always processing new ideas, new perceptions, and new sensations. That’s its job. Meditation is about learning to work with the mind as it is, not about trying to force it into some sort of Buddhist straitjacket.

Clarity is a sense of being able to see into the nature of things as though all reality were a landscape lit up on a brilliantly sunny day without clouds. Everything appears distinct and everything makes sense. Even disturbing thoughts and emotions have their place in this brilliant landscape. Nonconceptuality is an experience of the total openness

Any daily activity can be used as an opportunity for meditation. You can watch your thoughts as you go through your day, rest your attention momentarily on experiences like taste, smell, form, or sound, or simply rest for a few seconds on the marvelous experience of simply being aware of the experiences going on in your mind.

In fact, the best rule is to spend less time meditating than you think you can. If you think you can practice for four minutes, stop at three; if you think you can practice for five minutes, stop at four. Practicing in this way, you’ll find yourself eager to begin again. Rather than thinking you’ve accomplished your goal, leave yourself wanting mor