Insight meditation Quotes

“This … perception of impermanence … gives rise to the knowledge that even those things which seem most intimate to us – such as our emotions – are transient states which come and go. … From … detached observation it … becomes clear that even one's conscious mind is but a process like everything else. Most people regard their mental life as their true inner essence ( … ), but insight meditation discloses that the stream of consciousness is just one more facet of the complex interaction of the five factors of individuality, and not what one 'really is'.”

“The path of awakening begins with a step the Buddha called right understanding.”

“Built on the foundation of concentration is the third aspect of the Buddha’s path of awakening: clarity of vision and the development of wisdom.”

“If we are engaged in actions that cause pain and conflict to ourselves and others, it is impossible for the mind to become settled, collected, and focused in meditation; it is impossible for the heart to open.”

“Meditation practice is neither holding on nor avoiding; it is a settling back into the moment, opening to what is there.”

“Two qualities are at the root of all meditation development: right effort and right aim—arousing effort to aim the mind toward the object.”

“There are several different kinds of painful feelings that we might experience, and learning to distinguish and relate to these feelings of discomfort or pain is an important part of meditation practice, because it is one of the very first things that we open to as our practice develops.”

“Meditation is a vehicle for opening to the truth of this impermanence on deeper and deeper levels.”