At the heart of Buddhist meditation are concentration and inquiry. When you cultivate these two qualities in meditation, you develop your ability to be quiet and clear, to offer understanding and love.
-Martine Bachelor
Calmed in body,
calmed in speech,
well-centered & calm,
having disgorged the baits of the world,
a monk is called
thoroughly
calmed.
-Dhammapada
Amid distractions,
He is undistracted.
In meditation,
He does not meditate.
Foolish,
He is not a fool.
Knowing everything,
He knows nothing.
-Ashtavakra Gita
A student asked: "For all the different people who have come to listen to your words, please tell us about the way you have found and known."
The Buddha answered: "When you take things it is because of a thirst, a clinging, and a grasping. You should lose that and lose it altogether, above, below, around, and within. It makes no difference what it is you are grasping. When you grasp, you are losing your freedom. Realize this and grasp at nothing. Then you will cease being a creature of attachment, tied to the powers of death."
-Sutta Nipata
Comprehending and acquiring self-control
confers upon one the esteem of wise men.
More imposing than a mountain is the greatness of a man who,
steadfast in domestic life, has mastered self-control.
-Tirukkural