At every Stage, all “you” really do is patiently and persistently hold intentions to respond in specific ways to whatever happens during your meditation. Setting and holding the right intentions is what’s essential.

Stable attention is the ability to intentionally direct and sustain the focus of attention, as well as to control the scope of attention.

Developing raw mental power is the other part that often gets overlooked. Without this increase in power, you won’t get very far in cultivating mindfulness;

The rule is never more than ten, never less than five.

Attention analyzes experience, and peripheral awareness provides the context. When one or the other doesn’t do its job, we misinterpret, overreact, and make poor decisions.

Any of these is a potential distraction, but an actual distraction is one that competes with the meditation object for your attention.

The best way to avoid or resolve impatience is to enjoy your practice. While this isn’t always easy, a good start is to consistently focus on the positive rather than the negative aspects of your meditation. Notice when the body is relaxed and comfortable, or when the mind is focused and alert. Seek out and acknowledge these rewarding aspects, no

Awakening is an accident, but continued practice will make you accident-prone.

You’ve just had a minor epiphany, an “aha!” moment of realizing there’s a disconnect between what you’re doing (thinking about something else) and what you intended to do (watch the breath). But this wasn’t something you did. Nor can you voluntarily make it happen. The process that discovered this disconnect isn’t under your conscious control. It