Consider well the disadvantages of self-cherishing and the advantages of cherishing others more than ourselves. Get inspired by this MP3 where Venerable Sangye Khadro and Jon Landaw teach the basics of mediation.
In the portion by Venerable Sangye Khadro, she teaches basic meditation practice. The teachings include practical instructions on meditation techniques and guided meditations. This teaching is great for those beginners who wish to begin a meditation practice and is also a useful refresher for those more experienced meditators. This teaching was given at Land of Medicine Buddha in 2003.
In the portion by Jon Landaw (author of "Buddhism for Dummies"), he teaches different basic elements of meditation such as breath awareness, calming the mind, visualization, mantra recitation etc., and how to integrate all these elements into one's daily life and practice. This course is suitable for all levels of students.