Quotes about Meditation

Wherefore let us be much in the contemplation of what he was, what he did, how in all instances of duties and trials he carried himself, until an image or idea of his perfect holiness is implanted in our minds, and we are made like unto him thereby.

Slothful and lazy souls never obtain one view of this glory. The "lion in the road" deters them from attempting it (Prov 26:13).58 Being carnal, they abhor all diligence in the use of spiritual means, such as prayer and meditation, which to them are uneasy, unpleasant, and difficult. But for others, this way shares in the blessings of the promised destination. The means of obtaining a view of the glory of Christ are of the same kind and pleasantness of the view itself.

So the first consequence of Christ's withdrawing himself from us is that inward graces grow weak and we tend to rely more and more on outside helps. Above all, we lose the desire for holy meditation and we spend less and less time with Christ. Just as frost withers the plants in the garden, so the grace in our hearts also withers when the 'Sun of Righteousness' withdraws and hides himself.

We dress our garden, eat our dinners, discuss the household with our wives, and these things make no impression, are forgotten next week; but in the solitude to which every man is always returning, he has a sanity and revelations, which in his passage into new worlds he will carry with him. Never mind the ridicule, never mind the defeat: up again, old heart!

Intent on prayer, she has a dumb girl's sweet piercing way of putting her whole body into one thing at a time.

Drink deeply from good books.

Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy.

To allow ourselves to be truly in touch with where we already are, no matter where that is, we have got to pause in our experience long enough to let the present moment sink in; long enough to actually feel the present moment, to see it in its fullness, to hold it in awareness and thereby come to know and understand it better.

By repeatedly bringing your attention back to the breath each time it wanders off, concentration builds and deepens, much as muscles develop by repetitively lifting weights.

It's very important as a beginner that you understand right from the start that meditation is about befriending your thinking, about holding it gently in awareness, no matter what is on your mind in a particular moment. It is not about shutting off your thoughts or changing them in any way.

As you begin befriending your breath, you see immediately that unawareness is everywhere.

in meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all.