"Joseph is another of those beings who could be called (as Jung referred to Richard Wilhelm) a 'gnostic intermediary'; that is, one who transmits a teaching from one culture and age to another not via his intellect but through absorption into his blood and gut so that he, in truth, becomes the teaching."

—Ram Dass

"Loving-kindness, on the other hand, is extraordinary precisely because it can embrace all; there is no one who falls outside of its domain. That is why, when we encounter people who have developed this capacity to a great extent—the Dalai Lama, for example—we sense their tremendous kindness toward everyone. Loving-kindness is a feeling that blesses others and oneself with the simple wish,"

"This was a great turning point in my practice. I understood that how I feel about someone is up to me and that my feelings do not ultimately depend on the person, his or her behavior, or the situation. The gardener remained the same. He did not change what he was doing or how he related to me. But because of a turn in my own understanding and practice, my heart began to fi ll with genuine feelings of kindness and care."

"One of the things I discovered in my own practice, which speaks to my relation to consumerism, was how desire works on very subtle levels. For example, when I’m on retreat and I find myself desiring a cup of tea, I might be inclined to get up and gratify that desire. This is because I am focusing strongly on the object of my wanting, the cup of tea. But if I shift my focus from the object to the anticipated feeling of satisfaction, I can be aware that it is the pleasant feelings associated with the tea that are really what I am after. It is then much easier to remember that these feelings are fleeting. Remembering this impermanence, I am less hooked by the object of desire. If we focus on the object, which appears to be more real, it is harder to resist the desire; we are more fooled by the apparent substantiality of the object and less able to see its impermanence. When we focus on the feelings, we have a greater chance of remembering the impermanent nature of feeling, thus breaking the link that generates the wanting."

"What is the nature of awareness, the basic process of consciousness? It is a tremendous mystery, because when we look for awareness, there is nothing to find. And yet it ceaselessly and spontaneously knows, cognizes, everything that is arising. It is quite amazing. Through the development of the science and art of practice, through the balance of precise investigation and open receptivity, we cut through to the essential nature of our minds, of our bodies, of our awareness. We begin to touch the truth of our lives. This is the great voyage of discovery that we are on, discovering ourselves."

"Munindra did not let his students deceive themselves. Whether it was thinking they had reached a certain stage in practice that they had not, or believing they were suitable and ready to become a dharma teacher when they were not, he stated what he thought. A particular interview still sticks in Joseph Goldstein’s mind from his early years in India. When he reported having dropped into a state that felt totally free and open, Munindra simply said, 'Don’t recondition your mind,' guiding him not to get attached to this state of mind or create concepts about it. And when Vivian Darst entertained thoughts of becoming a teacher, Munindra told her, 'You have to have a lot of patience if you’re going to be a teacher. And you are impatient with me, so how can you be a teacher?'"

"Some years ago, I was facing a situation of immense difficulty in my practice. For weeks, great pain and anguish permeated my experience. At the very lowest time, in a moment of hopeless despair, when any effort at all seemed impossible, the word “courage” suddenly appeared in my mind. It kept repeating, almost like a mantra, and each time the word sounded in my mind, I could literally feel my heart grow stronger. With some magic of its own, it unhooked that last deep place of aversion and fear about what was happening that was keeping me separate from the experience. It brought forth the courage of simply being. What had been intolerable a moment before became completely acceptable. Courage is not about changing anything or grasping for some better state. It’s the valor of truly being present."