“I'd say, "But I'm not happy." And she'd say, "Where is it written that you're supposed to be happy all the time?” — Sylvia Boorstein Happiness Copy Share Image
“Everybody manages one way or another; everyone who is alive and reading this book has managed.” — Sylvia Boorstein Book Copy Share Image
Steadfast benevolence, sustained by the wisdom that anything other than benevolence is painful, protects the mind from all afflictions. — Sylvia Boorstein Affliction Copy Share Image
Clearly the path of mitzvot is a form of meditation. The intention to act impeccably requires complete dedication and unwavering attention. I… — Sylvia Boorstein Attention Copy Share Image
“Speech that compliments is, by definition, free from derision, which clouds the mind with enemies and makes it tense. Kind speech makes… — Sylvia Boorstein Communication Copy Share Image
“Effort, concentration, and mindfulness are the internal ways in which the mind restores itself from being out of balance and lost in… — Sylvia Boorstein Focus Copy Share Image
I want to feel deeply, and whenever I am brokenhearted I emerge more compassionate. I think I allow myself to be brokenhearted… — Sylvia Boorstein Brokenhearted Copy Share Image
“Mindfulness, the aware, balanced acceptance of present experience, is at the heart of what the Buddha taught. This book is meant to… — Sylvia Boorstein Buddhism Copy Share Image
People are realizing that what seemed important to them in their lives-materialism and consumerism-doesn't work at all to make a happy heart.… — Sylvia Boorstein Consumerism Copy Share Image
“The Buddha’s criteria for Wise Speech include—in addition to the obvious expectation that speech be truthful— that it be timely, gentle, motivated… — Sylvia Boorstein Buddha Copy Share Image
“Being trapped by fear is a form of delusion. Either I can do something or I can't. If I truly can't ...… — Sylvia Boorstein Delusion Copy Share Image
Heir to your own karma doesn't mean 'You get what you deserve.' I think it means 'You get what you get.' Bad… — Sylvia Boorstein Action Copy Share Image
Being silent for me doesn't require being in a quiet place and it doesnt mean not saying words. It means, "receiving in… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“Anger is often a big problem for people who grew up in families where the overt expression of anger was an everyday… — Sylvia Boorstein Anger Copy Share Image
The path of compassion leads to the development of insight. But it doesn't work to say, "Ready, set, go! Be compassionate!" Beginning… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
It is our own pain, and our own desire to be free of it, that alerts us to the suffering of the… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“One of the ways we build intimate relationships with other people is by sharing our fears with them, telling them the things… — Sylvia Boorstein Fear Copy Share Image
“The Buddha said that there are three times that a person should consider the consequences of any action: before, during, and after.… — Sylvia Boorstein Buddha Copy Share Image
“Knowing ... that the struggle to create a different current reality is to no avail helps keep the attention present even when… — Sylvia Boorstein Awareness Copy Share Image
Mindfulness is attentiveness, moment to moment. What's happening right now and what's coming up in me in response to what's happening right… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“Perhaps... these days of less sunlight are opportunities for more contemplative time, more looking deeply to see what can only be seen… — Sylvia Boorstein Contemplation Copy Share Image
“... change and loss and sadness and grief are the shared lot of all human beings ... we are all making our… — Sylvia Boorstein Change Copy Share Image
“The next-to-last sentence that the Buddha is reported to have spoken as he was dying, before his final sentence of encouragement to… — Sylvia Boorstein Buddha Copy Share Image
“They were struggling and often in quite a lot of pain and concern, but still, they were all right. I thought to… — Sylvia Boorstein Aging gracefully Copy Share Image
If you take a deep breath and look around, 'Look what's happening to me!' can become 'Look what's happening!' And what's happening?… — Sylvia Boorstein Breaths Copy Share Image
“... the delicacy, the impermanence, the emptiness of mind states. Just like the weather, they blow in and out. Good mood. Bad… — Sylvia Boorstein Bad mood Copy Share Image
I am thankful that thus far today I have not had any unkind thoughts or said any harsh words or done anything… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“Everything is always changing. "There is a cause-and-effect lawfulness that governs all unfolding experience. "What I do matters, but I am not… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
All losses are sad. The end of an important relationship is also a death. When people fall out of love with each… — Sylvia Boorstein Death Copy Share Image
We are all dangling in mid-process between what already happened (which is just a memory) and what might happen (which is just… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
Concentration and mindfulness are the internal ways in which the mind restores itself from being out of balance and lost in confusion… — Sylvia Boorstein Action Copy Share Image
“ May I feel contented and safe. May I feel protected and pleased. May my physical body support me with strength. May… — Sylvia Boorstein Physical body Copy Share Image
The voice of Thich Nhat Hanh-friendly, patient, steadfast, confident, contemporary, and often witty-seems, to me, an intermediary big brother talking directly to… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“Becoming aware of fragility, of temporality, of the fact that we will surely all be lost to one another, sooner or later,… — Sylvia Boorstein Fragility Copy Share Image
Spirituality doesn't look like sitting down and meditating. Spirituality looks like folding the towels in a sweet way and talking kindly to… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“Pain is inevitable; lives come with pain. Suffering is not inevitable. If suffering is what happens when we struggle with our experience… — Sylvia Boorstein Pain Copy Share Image
“Essentially, he taught that it doesn’t make sense to upset ourselves about what is beyond our control. We don’t get a choice… — Sylvia Boorstein Choice Copy Share Image
“Some of my most precious moments of insight have been those in which I have seen clearly that gratitude is the only… — Sylvia Boorstein Buddhism Copy Share Image
“It is possible to cultivate a mind so spacious that it can be passionate and awake and responsive and involved and care… — Sylvia Boorstein Copy Share Image
“I am more able to recognize when my mind has gotten itself into trouble and increasingly eager to mobilize the energy to… — Sylvia Boorstein Confusion Copy Share Image
![“Speech that compliments is, by definition, free from derision, which clouds the mind with enemies and makes it tense. Kind speech makes the mind feel safe and also glad. [p.74]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/1e2/sylvia-boorstein-7241_communication_speech-that-compliments-is-by-definition_2924628.png)
![“Effort, concentration, and mindfulness are the internal ways in which the mind restores itself from being out of balance and lost in confusion to a condition of ease, clarity, and wisdom NO external action needs to happen. [p. 17]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/36b/sylvia-boorstein-7241_focus_effort-concentration-and-mindfulness-are_3190440.png)
![“I want to feel deeply, and whenever I am brokenhearted I emerge more compassionate. I think I allow myself to be brokenhearted more easily, knowing I won't be irrevocably shattered [p. 59]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/87e/sylvia-boorstein-7241_brokenhearted_i-want-to-feel-deeply-and-whenever-i-am_2282201.jpg)
![“Mindfulness, the aware, balanced acceptance of present experience, is at the heart of what the Buddha taught. This book is meant to be a basic Buddhist primer, but no one should be daunted. It's easier than you think [p. 4]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/7c5/sylvia-boorstein-7241_buddhism_mindfulness-the-aware-balanced-acceptanc_2011398.png)
![“Being trapped by fear is a form of delusion. Either I can do something or I can't. If I truly can't ... I don't do it. If I truly can, and it wold be a wholesome thing to do, I push myself [p. 39].” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/d7f/sylvia-boorstein-7241_delusion_being-trapped-by-fear-is-a-form-of-delus_2909985.png)
![“... change and loss and sadness and grief are the shared lot of all human beings ... we are all making our way from one end of life to the other hoping--for whatever intervals of time we can manage it--to feel safe and content and strong and at ease. [p.40]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/d33/sylvia-boorstein-7241_change_change-and-loss-and-sadness-and-grief-ar_2285293.png)
![“They were struggling and often in quite a lot of pain and concern, but still, they were all right. I thought to myself as I looked around, 'What we're all doing is we're all managing gracefully.' [p.5]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/c21/sylvia-boorstein-7241_aging-gracefully_they-were-struggling-and-often-in-quite_1371400.png)
![“... the delicacy, the impermanence, the emptiness of mind states. Just like the weather, they blow in and out. Good mood. Bad mood. Tranquil mood. Frazzled mood [p. 105].” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/195/sylvia-boorstein-7241_bad-mood_the-delicacy-the-impermanence-the-emptin_638097.png)
![“Everything is always changing. "There is a cause-and-effect lawfulness that governs all unfolding experience. "What I do matters, but I am not in charge. Suffering results from struggling with what is beyond my control. [pp. 27-28]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/c97/sylvia-boorstein-7241_beyond-my-control_everything-is-always-changing-there-is-a_2155573.png)
![“All losses are sad. The end of an important relationship is also a death. When people fall out of love with each other, or when what seemed like a solid friendship falls into ruin, the hope for a shared future--a hope that provided a context and a purpose to life--is gone. [p. 149]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/3a3/sylvia-boorstein-7241_death_all-losses-are-sad-the-end-of-an-importa_2474880.jpg)
![“May I feel contented and safe. May I feel protected and pleased. May my physical body support me with strength. May my life unfold smoothly with ease. [p. 71]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/579/sylvia-boorstein-7241_physical-body_may-i-feel-contented-and-safe-may-i-feel_2518239.png)
![“Becoming aware of fragility, of temporality, of the fact that we will surely all be lost to one another, sooner or later, mandates a clear imperative to be totally kind and loving to each other always [p.119].” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/22e/sylvia-boorstein-7241_fragility_becoming-aware-of-fragility-of-temporali_1250618.png)
![“Pain is inevitable; lives come with pain. Suffering is not inevitable. If suffering is what happens when we struggle with our experience because of our inability to accept it, then suffering is an optional extra [p. 19].” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/618/sylvia-boorstein-7241_pain_pain-is-inevitable-lives-come-with-pain_2405745.png)
![“It is possible to cultivate a mind so spacious that it can be passionate and awake and responsive and involved and care about things, and noty struggle [p. 23]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/5bc/sylvia-boorstein-7241_cultivate_it-is-possible-to-cultivate-a-mind-so-sp_556892.png)
![“I am more able to recognize when my mind has gotten itself into trouble and increasingly eager to mobilize the energy to rescue it. Concentration and mindfulness, as remedies to confusion, are either self-activating ... or at least reasonably available remedies to confusion. [pp. 17-18]” quote by Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/q/img-quotes/7a8/sylvia-boorstein-7241_confusion_i-am-more-able-to-recognize-when-my-mind_3066489.png)