The practice is based on the principle of karma, a principle that's under your control, a principle that you can learn to master.

"[The meditation] aims at a happiness that’s totally reliable and totally harmless, one that’s not subject to change. It’s going to found within. And how are you going to find it? Through your actions, your karma.

A lot of people have problems with the teachings on karma, but essentially this is what underlies the whole project we’re undertaking here. What we do is going to make a difference. We can’t be sure about the extent that what we do will make a difference in the world outside, but in the world of our experience, what we do shapes everything. And if we can train our minds, it will make a big difference in our lives.

After all, when you’re asked to believe in the principle of karma, what are you being asked to believe in? One, you’re responsible for your actions. There’s no outside force like a god or the influence of the stars acting through you. You make your choices; you’re responsible for them. Two, the quality of your choice comes from the quality of the intention underlying it. Three, the results of the action will depend on the quality of that intention. In other words, the practice is based on a principle that’s under your control, a principle that you can learn to master.

There’s really nothing difficult to believe in these principles. In fact, they’re principles you want to believe. Otherwise, your happiness is totally outside of your control, dependent on other factors. Or else that there’s no pattern at all to cause and effect — all of which would make life pretty hopeless. But if you’re convinced that what you do makes a difference, and you can figure out how to make a good difference, then it makes a lot of sense to sit down here and meditate."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Making a Difference"

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