The primary goal of Buddhist practice is the alleviation of suffering.

“I think the bottom line in all the traditions is coming to the end of suffering you know and what alleviates suffering in our minds in our lives”

The difficulty of maintaining a meditation habit is due to human evolutionary wiring, which prioritizes short-term wins over the long-term, so it is better to start small and practice in groups.

“you're not alone and it's not your fault. What's the matter with me is a very common question, but actually it's not you, it's evolution. We are not wired for the easy adoption of habits. We're wired for short-term wins like finding food, finding mates, avoiding danger. But creating a habit is a lon”

Meditation serves as the foundation that helps one cultivate the clarity needed to examine and improve their ethical behavior.

“But it really took me sitting and sitting and meditating and meditating and kind of unraveling the mind, you know, and its habits and its conditioning from birth to really start to understand even when I was lying to myself.”

Meditation should incorporate the ability to skillfully say no rather than just focusing on allowing and receiving.

“It's an important component, yes, but it's also about skillfully saying no sometimes.”

Consistent practice of meditation is necessary to overcome emotional conditioning and reprogram the autonomic nervous system.

“if you can't feel gratitude if you can't feel love i just want to know what you've been practicing feeling every day because that feeling that you're practicing is what you're always feeling now let's practice feeling something else in the beginning it's not going to be easy but you got to keep foll”