Dinah Mason

“First to explain ethical discipline: It’s the root of higher transmigration; It’s the staircase to liberation; It’s the antidote to suffering;”
― Thupten Jinpa, Mind Training: The Great Collection

“When we begin to practice tranquillity meditation, it may be difficult to maintain this awareness. That’s why we focus on the exhalation and inhalation of the breath rather than on what is going on in the mind, because focusing on our thoughts and emotions is much more difficult. We can formalize this technique by counting the incoming and outgoing breaths, in whatever rhythm is natural for us. In the beginning, you count an exhalation and inhalation as one breath and continue counting until you reach seven breaths, before returning to the count of one again. When we breathe out, we should know that we are breathing out, and when we breathe in, we should know that we are breathing in. When you’re comfortable counting seven breaths, you increase the number to fifteen and then to twenty-one. When you can hold your attention on the breath for twenty-one cycles, you will have developed some proficiency in mindfulness.”
― Traleg Kyabgon, The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind

“Atisha traveled to Sumatra by ship on a journey that took over a year. On the way he was faced with tremendous obstacles such as storms and aggressive sea creatures. At one point he was attacked by Maheshvara. Maheshvara took the shape of a gigantic, terrifying monster and caused a treacherous storm to descend upon the ship: lightning, thunder, huge waves and an enormous whirlpool that very nearly caused the ship to sink. From the midst of the whirlpool emerged the sea monster, threatening to devour all on board. Atisha established himself in a profound, stable meditation and generated compassion and loving kindness. The entreaties of Atisha’s terrified travel companions combined with Atisha’s tremendous merit caused Amrita Kundali, the wrathful Buddhist deity, to manifest and destroy the sea monster.”
― Shamar Rinpoché, The Path to Awakening: How Buddhism's Seven Points of Mind Training Can Lead You to a Life of Enlightenment and Happiness

“I have since learned there are no coincidences in life. But there are miracles we can all experience and connect with when we are fully awake, mindful of life in the moment, and unafraid to follow our hearts.”
― Tom Catton, The Mindful Addict: A Memoir of the Awakening of a Spirit