Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond: A Meditator's Handbook

Without the experience of delight, there will be some discontent. And discontent is the source of the wandering mind.

An effective way to overcome the inner commentary is to develop a refined present-moment awareness. You watch every moment so closely that you simply don’t have the time to comment about what has just happened.

When you know the breath is going in or going out for about one hundred breaths in a row, not missing one, then you have achieved what I call the third stage of this meditation, which involves sustained attention on the breath.

You should realize that you are much closer to truth when you observe without commentary, when you experience just the silent awareness of the present moment.

Even today, some meditators mistakenly believe that something as intensely pleasurable as jhāna cannot be conducive to the end of all suffering, and they remain afraid of jhāna.

The understanding that diversity is a heavy burden is crucial to being able to focus on the breath.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

And as you become accustomed to it, the silence lasts longer. You begin to enjoy the silence, once you have found it at last, and that is why it grows. But remember, silence is shy. If silence hears you talking about her, she vanishes immediately!

During meditation you become someone who has no history.