Status Updates From El Arte De La Felicidad

“Practicing Tong-Len meditation, or 'giving and receiving, may not necessarily succeed in alleviating the real physical pain or lead to a cure in physical terms, but what it can do is protect you from unnecessary additional psychological pain, suffering, and anguish”

That’s the real point of Buddhist practice IMO

“A deep distress hath humanized my soul” - William wordsworth

“, as a Hasidic sage advises, "When a man suffers, he ought not to say, 'That's bad! That's bad!' Nothing God imposes on man is bad. But it is all right to say, 'That's bitter! That's bitter!' For among medicines there are some that are made with bitter herbs.”

“I think that by examining these situations you'll be able to see that the consequence of going to extremes is that you, yourself, will eventually suffer”

“After a moment's reflection, he added, "So, in other words, the practice of Dharma, real spiritual practice, is in some sense like a voltage stabilizer. The function of the stabilizer is to pre- vent irregular power surges and instead give you a stable and constant source of power.”

This book - and the Dalai Lama - are very big on using intentional, thoughtful mind exercises to train ourselves to feel and act in compassionate ways.

“"A balanced and skillful approach to life, taking care to avoid extremes, becomes a very important factor in conducting one's everyday existence. It is important in all aspects of life...”

“In short may I, directly and indirectly, offer benefit and happiness to all beings, may I secretly take upon myself the harm and suffering of all beings!”