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Buddhism in the West

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Just hearing about patience does not mean you are experiencing it now or will easily develop it. To lay the ground for training the mind, you must first tame the mind. To tame the mind, it is extremely important to do the basic shamata [tranquility meditation, calm abiding] practice, which develops calmness and tranquility. Then you can add the practice of patience, understanding the benefits of patience and reminding yourself to take advantage of the available antidotes.
Ven. Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, from Dharma Paths

When I was in India living close to Tibetan monks and lamas, I was often surprised at the apparently easy-going, laid-back way in which many of them seemed to live their practice. They often esponded to my intensity and fervor with the expression kale kalepe TOnang (literally "please go slowly"). Essentially, what they were saying was take it easy, go slowly, and you get there. They seemed
highly amused by the attitude I had towards my practice, as though they could not understand why I was so driven. They did not have the underlying emotional disposition in their psyches that said they were not good enough. This does not mean they did not practice and work hard. It meant that they let things be and did not have the neurotic intensity of striving many of us suffer from in the West.
Rob Preece, The Wisdom of Imperfection

The Dharma center is an emergency rescue operation, like when police go in with sirens blaring, helicopters whirling - to rescue people in distress! Like that, the meditation center plays a very important role in the emergency rescue of people, human beings, using the seat belt and life jacket of the lam-rim.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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