Chapters 4-6 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 4 - Learning to Stay

Maitri is the acceptance of ourselves, including acceptance of our own pain and confusion. Consciously trying to fix faults in ourselves can lead to more suffering. The changing of bad habits for good must always be done with maitri. Sitting meditation helps us accomplish this by teaching us four qualities of maitri: steadfastness, clear seeing, experiencing our emotional distress, and attention to the present moment.

Meditation teaches us steadfastness because the physical act of meditation is demanding on the mind and the body. It is difficult for human beings to stay in the present, which meditation demands, because we define ourselves by our past and by our expectations for the future. It teaches us clear seeing because from it we learn to recognize our anxiety and anger. It helps us experience our emotional distress...