Meditation practice is neither holding on nor avoiding; it is settling back into the moment, opening to what is there.
 

As we see the impermanence of things, we also begin to understand the truth of the basic insecurity about all phenomena. Things are insecure or unsatisfactory in the sense that something that is always changing is incapable of giving us a lasting sense of completion or fulfillment. when we see this deeply in ourselves, it also beings to decondition the strong forces of desire and grasping in the mind. We begin to let go, allowing for the inevitable flow of change, rather than trying to hold on to something, thinking that it will make us happy forever after.
 

With restraint, we are open to everything that arises, but we see with discriminating wisdom, without becoming lost or forgetful. With wisdom and awareness we can see that there are skillful activities that are conducive to greater happiness and understanding, and there are unskillful ones that lead to further suffering and conflict. Restraint is the capacity we have to discriminate one from the other, and the strength and composure of mind to pursue the skillful course.
 

True restraint is not cultivated through aversion and suppression. It comes accordingly, bringing our actions of speech and body into alignment with what we know to be true. And as we work with the quality of restraint, we find it to be a source of tremendous power and energy.
 

In addition to restraining oneself from actions that are not very helpful or skillful, there is also the restraint from identifying with our inhibitions and fears. We have all been conditioned in various ways to fear different things and to be inhibited from contacting certain areas of ourselves or other people. Restraint in this sense means not buying into those patterns of mind that limit us and create more contraction and separation.
 

We work with the precepts as guidelines for harmonizing our actions in the world; we live with contentment and simplicity that does not exploit other people or the planet; we work with restraint in the mind, seeing that it is possible to say no to certain conditioned impulses, or to expand when we feel bound by inhibitions and fear; we reflect upon karma and the direction of our lives, where it is leading and what is being developed; we cultivate generosity and love, compassion and service. All of this together becomes our path of practice.
 

When we experience this process of change in a very immediate and intimate way, then the fear of death begins to dissolve, because we see that there never has been anything solid or secure. We no longer consider death some kind of failure, apart from the natural order of things. We can be more at peace.
 

An inevitable component of desire for pleasant feelings is the desire to avoid painful ones. Believing that our happiness lies in experiencing more and more pleasant feelings, we close ourselves to the full range of what arises in our lives. This ignorance and craving closes us off to an open awareness of suffering, and closes us off to compassion.
 

When we realize in our own experience that happiness comes not from reaching out but from letting go, not from seeking pleasurable experience but from opening in the moment to what is true, this transformation of understanding then frees the energy of compassion within us. Our minds are no longer bound up in pushing away pain or holding on to pleasure. Compassion becomes the natural response of an open heart.
 

The law of karma is one of the most important laws governing our lives. When we understand it, and live our understanding, when we act on what we know, then we experience a sense of wholeness and peace. If we live in a way that is out of harmony, ignoring the nature of things, we then experience dissonance, pain, and confusion.
 

The law of karma is one of the fundamental natural laws through which we create these vastly different realities. It is as though we are artists, but instead of canvas and paint, or marble or music, as our medium, our very bodies, minds, and life experience are the materials of our creative expression. A great sense of fulfillment in dharma practice comes from knowing this and from actively creating and fashioning our lives.
 

The great inspiration of the Buddha’s teaching is that we must each take ultimate responsibility for the quality of our lives. Given certain volitional actions, certain results will follow. When we understand that our lives are the unfolding of karmic law, that we are the heirs to our own deeds, then there grows in us a deepening sense of responsibility for how we live, the choices we make, and the actions we undertake.
 

Understanding the law of karma is known as the light of the world because through this understanding we can take responsibility for our destinies and be more truly guided to greater fulfillment in our lives.