When people thank and tell you how much you've helped them, what they say has nothing to do with you. This is just their way of expressing joy in the… - Ken McLeod

Each time you sit down to practice, take a few minutes to feel in your heart why this is important to you.

As compassion deepens, we find ourselves developing a nobility of the heart. Increasingly, and often to our surprise, we respond to difficult situations with calmness, clarity and directness. A quiet fearlessness or confidence is present as we no longer fear that we will compromise our own integrity. We find, too, a joy, a joy which arises from the knowledge that our every act is meaningful and helpful to the world.

Buddha did not ignore suffering or try to explain it away as an unfortunate side effect of a divine plan or cosmic order. Suffering was, for him, the central issue.