The world is nothing but my perception of it. I see only
through myself. I hear only through the filter of my story.
Byron Katie
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Love is Not a Feeling
Love is not a feeling,
it's an activity and
also a responsibility.
Sharon Salzberg
it's an activity and
also a responsibility.
Sharon Salzberg
The Next Moment
You can plan for a hundred years.
But you don't know what will happen
the next moment.
Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji)
But you don't know what will happen
the next moment.
Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji)
Where the Light Comes In
I said, "What about my eyes?"
God said, "Keep them on the road."
I said, "What about my passion?"
God said, "Keep it burning."
I said, "What about my heart?"
God said, "Tell me what you hold inside it."
I said, "Pain and sorrow."
He said, "Stay with it. The wound is the place
where the light comes in."
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
God said, "Keep them on the road."
I said, "What about my passion?"
God said, "Keep it burning."
I said, "What about my heart?"
God said, "Tell me what you hold inside it."
I said, "Pain and sorrow."
He said, "Stay with it. The wound is the place
where the light comes in."
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Consequences
In nature, there are neither rewards nor punishments.
There are consequences.
Robert Green Ingersoll
There are consequences.
Robert Green Ingersoll
Biggest Barrier
The biggest barrier to awakening
is the belief that it is something rare.
Adyashanti
is the belief that it is something rare.
Adyashanti
So Few People
Why is it that so few people are truly free?
Because they try to conform to ideas, concepts,
and beliefs in their heads.
Adyashanti
Because they try to conform to ideas, concepts,
and beliefs in their heads.
Adyashanti
Christs, Not Christians
The goal of Buddhism is to
create Buddhas, not Buddhists,
as the goal of Christianity is to
create Christs, not Christians.
Adyashanti
create Buddhas, not Buddhists,
as the goal of Christianity is to
create Christs, not Christians.
Adyashanti
Without Your Resistance
Misery needs your conspiracy;
it needs your help.
Without your resistance,
misery cannot survive.
Adyashanti
it needs your help.
Without your resistance,
misery cannot survive.
Adyashanti
Life Sustains Itself
Life sustains itself.
Let go of the ego and
life takes care of itself
through you.
Adyashanti
Let go of the ego and
life takes care of itself
through you.
Adyashanti
Deeply Connected
Love causes us to be deeply connected in an unspoken way.
It happens when we're really available, really open.
Adyashanti
It happens when we're really available, really open.
Adyashanti
Monday, November 6, 2017
Until Death Do Them Part
When two people are under the influence of
the most violent, most insane, most delusive,
and most transient of passions, they are required
to swear that they will remain in that excited,
abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously
until death do them part.
George Bernard Shaw
the most violent, most insane, most delusive,
and most transient of passions, they are required
to swear that they will remain in that excited,
abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously
until death do them part.
George Bernard Shaw
Know Who You Are
You may encounter many defeats,
but you must not be defeated. In fact,
it may be necessary to encounter the
defeats so you can know who you are.
Maya Angelou
but you must not be defeated. In fact,
it may be necessary to encounter the
defeats so you can know who you are.
Maya Angelou
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Men and Empathy
If we truly want men to become empathic,
we need to become more empathic to men.
William S. Pollock
we need to become more empathic to men.
William S. Pollock
Feminism
For all that feminism has contributed to our culture,
it has also brought with it a subtle idealization of women
and a less subtle denigration or misunderstanding of men.
Samuel Osherson
it has also brought with it a subtle idealization of women
and a less subtle denigration or misunderstanding of men.
Samuel Osherson
Quiet Desperation
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.
From the desperate city you go to into the desperate
country, and have to console yourself with the bravery
of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious
despair is concealed even under that are called the games
and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for
this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom
not to do desperate things.
Henry David Thoreau
What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.
From the desperate city you go to into the desperate
country, and have to console yourself with the bravery
of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious
despair is concealed even under that are called the games
and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for
this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom
not to do desperate things.
Henry David Thoreau
Greatest Compliment
The greatest compliment that was ever paid me
was when one asked me what I thought, and
attended to my answer.
Henry David Thoreau
was when one asked me what I thought, and
attended to my answer.
Henry David Thoreau
Anything on Earth
So intense and final is the modern
and white man's conviction,
his internal conviction,
that he is not a man,
that he dares anything on earth
except be a man.
D.H. Lawrence
and white man's conviction,
his internal conviction,
that he is not a man,
that he dares anything on earth
except be a man.
D.H. Lawrence
The Third Body
A man and a woman sit near each other, and they do not
long a this moment to be older, or younger or born in
any other nation, or any other time, or any other place.
They are content to be where they are,
talking or not talking.
Their breaths together feed someone whom
we do not know.
The man sees the way his fingers move;
he sees her hands close around a book she hands to him.
They obey a third body that they share in common.
They have made a promise to love that body.
Age may come, parting may come, death will come.
A man and a woman sit near each other;
as they breathe they feed someone we do not know,
someone we know of, whom we have never seen.
Robert Bly
long a this moment to be older, or younger or born in
any other nation, or any other time, or any other place.
They are content to be where they are,
talking or not talking.
Their breaths together feed someone whom
we do not know.
The man sees the way his fingers move;
he sees her hands close around a book she hands to him.
They obey a third body that they share in common.
They have made a promise to love that body.
Age may come, parting may come, death will come.
A man and a woman sit near each other;
as they breathe they feed someone we do not know,
someone we know of, whom we have never seen.
Robert Bly
Use the Last One
You asked for a new idea and
you haven't used the last one yet.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
you haven't used the last one yet.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Rent We Pay
Service is the rent we pay to be living.
It is the very purpose of life and not
something you do in your spare time.
Marian Wright Edelman
It is the very purpose of life and not
something you do in your spare time.
Marian Wright Edelman
Double the Madness
The hermit said: "Because the world is mad,
the only way through the world is to learn
the arts and double the madness."
Robert Bly
the only way through the world is to learn
the arts and double the madness."
Robert Bly
It Doesn't Matter What Else
For this is the journey that men make: to find themselves.
If they fail in this, it doesn't matter much what else they find.
James Michener
If they fail in this, it doesn't matter much what else they find.
James Michener
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Essential First Step
Self-understanding is an essential first step for men today. If a man is to be a good father to his son, or a good husband to his wife, he needs to know what he got, or wanted and didn't get, from his own father; how he was both strengthened and wounded by that relationship; how it has influenced his own fathering style and his own identity as a man.
Samuel Osherman
Samuel Osherman
I Am a Lighthouse
I am a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat.
I do not rescue, but instead help others
to find their own way to shore, guiding
them by my example.
Modern Affirmation
I do not rescue, but instead help others
to find their own way to shore, guiding
them by my example.
Modern Affirmation
Full Manhood
I don’t want to talk to you about what it takes to be a
good Morani (warrior). I want to talk to you about what it takes to be a great
Morani. To be a great Morani: When the moment calls for fierceness, nobody
fucks with you. And when the moment calls for tenderness, you are not tender.
You are very, very tender. And a great Morani knows which is which.
Kenyan Tribal Elder (as told by Terence Real)
Kenyan Tribal Elder (as told by Terence Real)
Not a Mechanism
I am not a mechanism, an assembly of various sections.
And it is not because the mechanism is working wrongly, that I am ill.
I am ill because of wounds to the soul, to the deep emotional self
and the wounds to the soul take a long, long time, only time can help
and patience, and a certain difficult repentance,
long, difficult repentance, realization of life's mistake, and the freeing of oneself
from the endless repetition of the mistake
which mankind at large has chosen to sanctify.
D.H. Lawrence
And it is not because the mechanism is working wrongly, that I am ill.
I am ill because of wounds to the soul, to the deep emotional self
and the wounds to the soul take a long, long time, only time can help
and patience, and a certain difficult repentance,
long, difficult repentance, realization of life's mistake, and the freeing of oneself
from the endless repetition of the mistake
which mankind at large has chosen to sanctify.
D.H. Lawrence
Be a Man
The three most destructive words that
every man receives when he's a boy
is when he's told to "be a man."
Joe Ehrmann
every man receives when he's a boy
is when he's told to "be a man."
Joe Ehrmann
Middle Ground
Sustaining relationships with others requires a
good relationship to ourselves. Healthy self-esteem
is an internal sense of worth that pulls one neither
into "better than" grandiosity nor "less than" shame.
But the essence of psychological patriarchy is
the nonexistence of such a middle ground.
Terrence Real
good relationship to ourselves. Healthy self-esteem
is an internal sense of worth that pulls one neither
into "better than" grandiosity nor "less than" shame.
But the essence of psychological patriarchy is
the nonexistence of such a middle ground.
Terrence Real
Biggest Mistake
But the biggest mistake I made was
believing that if I cast a beautiful net,
I'd catch only beautiful things.
Prairie Johnson, character on "The OA"
believing that if I cast a beautiful net,
I'd catch only beautiful things.
Prairie Johnson, character on "The OA"
A Self So Developed
Learning to listen relationally, listen with
cool heads and clear boundaries, listen with
the quietness of the heart and the gentleness
of the body, means having a self so developed
it can afford to yield.
Terrence Real
cool heads and clear boundaries, listen with
the quietness of the heart and the gentleness
of the body, means having a self so developed
it can afford to yield.
Terrence Real
More Promising Strategy
Changing one's own behavior is a
much more promising strategy than
insisting on change from the other.
Terrence Real
much more promising strategy than
insisting on change from the other.
Terrence Real
Women's Needs
As women shut down their needs, they
also shut down their sense of pleasure.
Terrence Real
also shut down their sense of pleasure.
Terrence Real
Strength
Strength is not the absence of vulnerability.
Strength is knowing what your weaknesses
are and working with them.
Terrence Real
Strength is knowing what your weaknesses
are and working with them.
Terrence Real
Marital Success Predictor
The most reliable predictor of
long-term marital success was
a pattern in which the wives,
in non-offensive, clear ways
communicated their needs,
and husbands willingly altered
their behaviors to meet them.
Terrence Real
long-term marital success was
a pattern in which the wives,
in non-offensive, clear ways
communicated their needs,
and husbands willingly altered
their behaviors to meet them.
Terrence Real
Rule Surpassing All Rules
The rule that surpasses all rules is that
you must be connected, willing to see
what's in front of you, and willing to move
if what you're doing isn't working.
Terrence Real
you must be connected, willing to see
what's in front of you, and willing to move
if what you're doing isn't working.
Terrence Real
Unhappy in Marriage
Women are unhappy in their marriages
because they want men to be more related
than most men know how to be. And men
are unhappy in their marriages because
their women seem so unhappy with them.
Terrence Real
because they want men to be more related
than most men know how to be. And men
are unhappy in their marriages because
their women seem so unhappy with them.
Terrence Real
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Love is ...
Love consists of overestimating
the differences between
one woman and another.
George Bernard Shaw
the differences between
one woman and another.
George Bernard Shaw
Initial Misconceptions
I will always cherish the
initial misconceptions
I had about you.
Author Unknown
initial misconceptions
I had about you.
Author Unknown
Choosing
Marriage is the process of
choosing the right woman
with whom to be incompatible.
Evan Esar
choosing the right woman
with whom to be incompatible.
Evan Esar
Absolved
How wonderful to have someone to blame!
How wonderful to live with one's nemesis!
You may be miserable, but you feel forever
in the right. You may be fragmented, but
you feel absolved of all the blame for it.
Erica Jong
How wonderful to live with one's nemesis!
You may be miserable, but you feel forever
in the right. You may be fragmented, but
you feel absolved of all the blame for it.
Erica Jong
Remember to Live
It does not do to dwell on
dreams and forget to live.
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and
The Philosopher' Stone
dreams and forget to live.
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and
The Philosopher' Stone
Thursday, August 3, 2017
The Roar of Freedom
The greatest fear in the world
is the fear of the opinions of others.
And the moment you are unafraid
of the crowd, you are no longer a
sheep, you become a lion. In your
heart, the roar of freedom.
Osho
is the fear of the opinions of others.
And the moment you are unafraid
of the crowd, you are no longer a
sheep, you become a lion. In your
heart, the roar of freedom.
Osho
The Most Difficult Thing
Accept yourself as you are. And
that is the most difficult thing in
the world, because it goes against
your training, your education,
your culture.
Osho
that is the most difficult thing in
the world, because it goes against
your training, your education,
your culture.
Osho
If You Relax
Don't seek, don't search, don't ask,
don't knock, don't demand - relax.
If you relax, it comes. If you relax,
it is there. If you relax, you start
vibrating with it.
Osho
don't knock, don't demand - relax.
If you relax, it comes. If you relax,
it is there. If you relax, you start
vibrating with it.
Osho
Yourself in the Stillness
The only person on Earth you must
answer to is yourself in the stillness.
Today is the day to stop running.
Glennon Doyle
answer to is yourself in the stillness.
Today is the day to stop running.
Glennon Doyle
Monday, July 10, 2017
Love Comes in Return
If you love, love comes in return.
If it is not coming, go deeper;
somewhere in the name of love
you have done something else.
Osho
If it is not coming, go deeper;
somewhere in the name of love
you have done something else.
Osho
Creating Yourself
Creating a painting is nothing.
Creating a poem is nothing.
Creating music is nothing
compared to creating yourself,
creating your very being.
Osho
Creating a poem is nothing.
Creating music is nothing
compared to creating yourself,
creating your very being.
Osho
Rajneesh's Ten Commandments
1. Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from
within you also.
2. There is no God other than life itself.
3. Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
4. Love is prayer.
5. To become a nothingness is the door to truth.
Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and
the attainment.
6. Life is now and here.
7. Live wakefully.
8. Do not swim - float.
9. Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
10. Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.
Osho Rajneesh
within you also.
2. There is no God other than life itself.
3. Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
4. Love is prayer.
5. To become a nothingness is the door to truth.
Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and
the attainment.
6. Life is now and here.
7. Live wakefully.
8. Do not swim - float.
9. Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
10. Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.
Osho Rajneesh
Find the Inner Guide
The whole purpose of meditation is just to find the inner guide. Once you have found the inner guide, meditation is no longer needed; then nothing is needed. You have got your eyes open now you can live your life with total spontaneity. You need not depend on the memory system at all, now your answers will be real responses. Your action will be real responses, not reactions.
Osho
Osho
Free to Move Alone
The rule is perfectly true --
"The group only gets as high
as its lowest member." So if
you want to get high, please
remember -- never become
a member of any group.
Remember to remain individual.
Then you are free to move at
your own pace. Then you are
totally free to move alone.
In a group you are tied.
Osho
"The group only gets as high
as its lowest member." So if
you want to get high, please
remember -- never become
a member of any group.
Remember to remain individual.
Then you are free to move at
your own pace. Then you are
totally free to move alone.
In a group you are tied.
Osho
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Provoke a Longing
The master/disciple relationship is the
relationship between a caterpillar and
a butterfly, a friendship between a
caterpillar and a butterfly. The butterfly
cannot prove that the caterpillar can
become a butterfly; there is no logical
way. But the butterfly can provoke a
longing in the caterpillar - that is possible.
Osho
relationship between a caterpillar and
a butterfly, a friendship between a
caterpillar and a butterfly. The butterfly
cannot prove that the caterpillar can
become a butterfly; there is no logical
way. But the butterfly can provoke a
longing in the caterpillar - that is possible.
Osho
Zen Lives in the Present
Zen lives in the present.
The whole teaching is:
how to be in the present,
how to get out of the past
which is no more and
how not to get involved in
the future which is not yet,
and just to be rooted,
centered, in that which is.
Osho
The whole teaching is:
how to be in the present,
how to get out of the past
which is no more and
how not to get involved in
the future which is not yet,
and just to be rooted,
centered, in that which is.
Osho
The Greatest Miracle
Somebody asked a Zen master,
"What is the greatest miracle in the world?"
The master replied,
"I am sitting here alone with myself."
Osho
"What is the greatest miracle in the world?"
The master replied,
"I am sitting here alone with myself."
Osho
Meditation
Meditation simply means to
be alone, not doing anything;
not even chanting a mantra.
Osho
be alone, not doing anything;
not even chanting a mantra.
Osho
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Choosing Leaders
Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all the
coward fears.
To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists
who control the fool.
To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious
treasures to be stolen.
To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you
love into slavery.
Octavia Butler
To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all the
coward fears.
To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists
who control the fool.
To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious
treasures to be stolen.
To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you
love into slavery.
Octavia Butler
Dirty Word
Angry is only a dirty word to
folks who are interested in
maintaining the status quo.
Glennon Doyle
folks who are interested in
maintaining the status quo.
Glennon Doyle
Seeing My Work
I began to see my work was purification. It was getting my theme straight, it was lightening up my attachments, getting out of living such a complicated life, simplifying my life, relating to other human beings so that when I met another person I found the place in them where we are and I didn't get caught and lost in the melodrama of our relationships.
Ram Dass
Ram Dass
The Greatest Blessing
My vision of the new man is of a rebel, of a man who is in search of his original self, of his original face. A man who is ready to drop all masks, all pretension, all hypocrisies, and show the world what he, in reality, is. Whether he is loved or condemned, respected, honored or dishonored, crowned or crucified, does not matter, because to be yourself is the greatest blessing in existence.
Osho
Osho
No Need for Anybody
Aloneness is the presence of oneself.
Aloneness is very positive. It is a
presence, overflowing presence.
You are so full of presence that you
can fill the whole universe with
your presence and there is no need
for anybody.
Osho
Aloneness is very positive. It is a
presence, overflowing presence.
You are so full of presence that you
can fill the whole universe with
your presence and there is no need
for anybody.
Osho
Nothing Else
If you are not capable of being alone,
your relationship is false. It is just a
trick to avoid your loneliness,
nothing else.
Osho
your relationship is false. It is just a
trick to avoid your loneliness,
nothing else.
Osho
Right Action Arises
Do you have the patience to wait
Till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
Till the right action arises by itself?
Lao Tzu
Till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
Till the right action arises by itself?
Lao Tzu
The Capacity to Love
The capacity to be alone is the capacity to love.
It may look paradoxical to you, but it's not.
It is an existential truth: only those who are
capable of being alone are capable of love,
of sharing, of going into the deepest core of
another person - without possessing the other,
without becoming dependent on the other,
without reducing the other to a thing, and
without becoming addicted to the other.
They allow the other absolute freedom,
because they know that if the other leaves,
they will be as happy as they are now.
Their happiness cannot be taken by the other,
because it is not given by the other.
Osho
It may look paradoxical to you, but it's not.
It is an existential truth: only those who are
capable of being alone are capable of love,
of sharing, of going into the deepest core of
another person - without possessing the other,
without becoming dependent on the other,
without reducing the other to a thing, and
without becoming addicted to the other.
They allow the other absolute freedom,
because they know that if the other leaves,
they will be as happy as they are now.
Their happiness cannot be taken by the other,
because it is not given by the other.
Osho
Loving an Animal
Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one's soul remains
unawakened.
Anatole France
a part of one's soul remains
unawakened.
Anatole France
Love is About Appreciation
If you love a flower, don't pick it up.
Because if you pick it up, it dies and
it ceases to be what you love. So, if
you love a flower, let it be. Love is
not about possession. Love is about
appreciation.
Osho
Because if you pick it up, it dies and
it ceases to be what you love. So, if
you love a flower, let it be. Love is
not about possession. Love is about
appreciation.
Osho
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Awakening You Again
It's absolutely wonderful
to have a daily practice
because most of us are
very deeply in the world
and we get lost very easily
into the stuff of life.
So it's important to have
a daily practice that keeps
reminding you and pulling
you back and awakening
you again.
Ram Dass
to have a daily practice
because most of us are
very deeply in the world
and we get lost very easily
into the stuff of life.
So it's important to have
a daily practice that keeps
reminding you and pulling
you back and awakening
you again.
Ram Dass
Freedom
Part of allowing the whole world to wake up is the whole world is free, everybody is free to be as they are. Until the whole world is free to agree with you or disagree with you, until you've given the freedom to each and everybody to like you or not like you, to love you or hate you, to see things as you see them or to see things differently, until you've given the whole world its freedom, then you'll never have your freedom.
Adyshanti
Adyshanti
Kind of a Shift
Life is so beautiful, especially
when I'm absent from it.
Don't get me wrong, Jim Carrey
was a great character and I was
lucky to get the part, but I don't
think of that as me anymore ...
I used to be a guy who was
experiencing the world and now
I feel like the world and
the universe experiencing a guy.
So there's been kind of a shift.
Jim Carrey
when I'm absent from it.
Don't get me wrong, Jim Carrey
was a great character and I was
lucky to get the part, but I don't
think of that as me anymore ...
I used to be a guy who was
experiencing the world and now
I feel like the world and
the universe experiencing a guy.
So there's been kind of a shift.
Jim Carrey
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Where All Things Are Possible
You must unlearn what
you've been programmed
to believe since birth.
That software no longer
serves you if you want
to live in a world where
all things are possible.
Jacqueline E. Purcell
you've been programmed
to believe since birth.
That software no longer
serves you if you want
to live in a world where
all things are possible.
Jacqueline E. Purcell
Unexamined Beliefs
Among the biggest impediments on the spiritual path are our unexamined beliefs about life, about truth, and about ourselves. To be truly available for transformation, we must release ourselves from those limiting beliefs. We don't necessarily have to get rid of our beliefs; beliefs have their functions. Rather, we learn to let go of our beliefs, which is also to let go of our identity.
Jon Bernie
Jon Bernie
Coming Home to Roost
Of course there may still be what I like to call "ego flare-ups," but that's inevitable and entirely to be expected. It's just the chickens coming home to roost. Eventually, all you scattered parts - the part of you that have been repressed, cut off, marginalized, or just forgotten - return home to be integrated. Then come back to be forgiven, to be loved, to be embraced - and finally to be appreciated because they are the fuel for the fire of transformation.
Jon Bernie
Jon Bernie
People Who Are Helping
When I was a boy and I would see
scary things on the news, my mother
would say to me, "Look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping."
Fred Rogers
scary things on the news, my mother
would say to me, "Look for the helpers.
You will always find people who are helping."
Fred Rogers
Friday, May 19, 2017
Politics
Politics is about establishing
a shared sense of reality
with like-minded people.
It's not about facts.
Brian Resnick
a shared sense of reality
with like-minded people.
It's not about facts.
Brian Resnick
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Right Here Right Now
The first step is simply to
arrive, fully, in this moment
and to allow what is to be as
it is, right here, right now.
Joe Bernie
arrive, fully, in this moment
and to allow what is to be as
it is, right here, right now.
Joe Bernie
Making the Unknown Known
Whether you succeed or
not is irrelevant.
There's no such thing.
Making the unknown known
is what is important.
Georgia O'Keeffe
not is irrelevant.
There's no such thing.
Making the unknown known
is what is important.
Georgia O'Keeffe
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Our Job
Our job is unconditional love.
The job of everyone else in
our life is to push our buttons.
Byron Katie
The job of everyone else in
our life is to push our buttons.
Byron Katie
Seemingly Unremarkable
Many poets and sages
throughout the ages,
have observed that
true happiness -
I call it the joy of being -
is found in
simple, seemingly
unremarkable things.
Eckhart Tolle
throughout the ages,
have observed that
true happiness -
I call it the joy of being -
is found in
simple, seemingly
unremarkable things.
Eckhart Tolle
Everything
You will receive everything you need when
you stop asking for what you do not need.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
you stop asking for what you do not need.
Nisargadatta Maharaj
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Three Things to Remember
As long as you're dancing,
you can break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is
just extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.
Mary Oliver
you can break the rules.
Sometimes breaking the rules is
just extending the rules.
Sometimes there are no rules.
Mary Oliver
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
The Only Cure
I believe I know the only cure, which is to
make one's center of life inside of one's self,
not selfishly or excludingly, but with a kind
of unassailable serenity - to decorate one's
inner house so richly that one is content there,
glad to welcome anyone who wants to come
and stay, but happy all the same when one is
inevitably alone.
Edith Wharton
make one's center of life inside of one's self,
not selfishly or excludingly, but with a kind
of unassailable serenity - to decorate one's
inner house so richly that one is content there,
glad to welcome anyone who wants to come
and stay, but happy all the same when one is
inevitably alone.
Edith Wharton
Terrifying State of Being
To take advantage of the opportunities
afforded by solitude, a person must be
able to turn a basically terrifying state
of being into a productive one.
Reed W. Larson
afforded by solitude, a person must be
able to turn a basically terrifying state
of being into a productive one.
Reed W. Larson
Thriving Alone
The common cure for loneliness
is more connections, yet exercising
our solitude is another option.
Time alone is inevitable - but
can we thrive when it occurs?
Michael Harris
is more connections, yet exercising
our solitude is another option.
Time alone is inevitable - but
can we thrive when it occurs?
Michael Harris
Monday, April 24, 2017
Well-adjusted
We all want our children
to be well-adjusted;
unfortunately, there's
nothing to be well-adjusted to.
Terence McKenna
to be well-adjusted;
unfortunately, there's
nothing to be well-adjusted to.
Terence McKenna
You Have Played Enough
Half of life is lost in charming others.
The other half is lost in going through
anxieties caused by others. Leave this
play, you have played enough.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
The other half is lost in going through
anxieties caused by others. Leave this
play, you have played enough.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Born Ready
We are born ready to do things on our own
as well as connect to others.
Both needs - to be alone and to connect -
are essential.
Ester Buchholz
as well as connect to others.
Both needs - to be alone and to connect -
are essential.
Ester Buchholz
Real Solitude
The capacity to be alone, properly alone,
is one of life's subtlest skills. Real solitude
is a powerful resource we can call upon -
a crucial ingredient for a rich interior life.
It inspires reflection, allows creativity to
flourish, and improves our relationships
with ourselves and, unexpectedly, with others.
Nicholas Carr
is one of life's subtlest skills. Real solitude
is a powerful resource we can call upon -
a crucial ingredient for a rich interior life.
It inspires reflection, allows creativity to
flourish, and improves our relationships
with ourselves and, unexpectedly, with others.
Nicholas Carr
That's Fine
When a bird sings, it doesn't sing
for the advancement of music.
But if somebody stops to listen
and is delighted, that's fine.
Alan Watts
for the advancement of music.
But if somebody stops to listen
and is delighted, that's fine.
Alan Watts
Not Ready
The matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around. What do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it.
Morpheus, "The Matrix"
Morpheus, "The Matrix"
How Do You Know
I think in relationships, you create an
environment with your own work on
yourself, which you offer to another
human being to use to grow in the way
they need to grow. You keep working -
you become the soil - moist and soft
and receptive so the person can grow
the way they need to grow, because
how do you know how they should grow?
Ram Dass
environment with your own work on
yourself, which you offer to another
human being to use to grow in the way
they need to grow. You keep working -
you become the soil - moist and soft
and receptive so the person can grow
the way they need to grow, because
how do you know how they should grow?
Ram Dass
Saturday, April 22, 2017
You Become It
The first kind of love we are familiar with
is the biochemical love, the "lets' make love."
The second kind is romantic love,
"Mary loves John and John loves Mary."
The third quality of love is conscious love,
where you have found that place in yourself
and you become it.
Ram Dass
is the biochemical love, the "lets' make love."
The second kind is romantic love,
"Mary loves John and John loves Mary."
The third quality of love is conscious love,
where you have found that place in yourself
and you become it.
Ram Dass
Learned to Rise
There is no greater threat
to the critics and cynics
than those of us who are willing
to fall because we have learned
to rise.
Brene Brown
to the critics and cynics
than those of us who are willing
to fall because we have learned
to rise.
Brene Brown
Seek What They Sought
Don't follow in the footsteps of
the old poets, seek what they sought.
Matsuo Basho
the old poets, seek what they sought.
Matsuo Basho
We Are Surrounded
Physically we are alone, physically.
But in the imagination, we are surrounded
by distant friends and their whisperings are
our science, our mathematics, our religions,
our culture.
Terence McKenna
But in the imagination, we are surrounded
by distant friends and their whisperings are
our science, our mathematics, our religions,
our culture.
Terence McKenna
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Just a Witness
A lot of people pass through the thinking I'm a guru
and take enough trips to understand that no,
I was just a witness. I was just a witness.
Terence McKenna
and take enough trips to understand that no,
I was just a witness. I was just a witness.
Terence McKenna
Being Centered
When you meet a being who is centered, you always know it, you can always feel a kind of calm emanation, it always touches you in the place where you feel calm, but: you can't hustle it, you can't make-believe you're calm when you're not. It never works, everybody knows, you know, it's horrible. You must center, find that place inside yourself, and: whatever your dance is, you're doing from that place, always right in there, right in your hridayum.
Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Side Effect of Change
We have a hard time committing to a change in behavior because we're wired to against the feeling of discomfort, which is a normal side effect of change. However, if we can work with the discomfort for short period of time, then our comfort zones will expand and we'll feel normal again after our growth
Emily Maroutian
Emily Maroutian
Find Each Other
Dios los crea, y
ellos se juntan.
(God creates them, and
they find each other.)
Spanish Saying
ellos se juntan.
(God creates them, and
they find each other.)
Spanish Saying
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Proper Role of Intelligence
Intelligence is not a license to trample.
The proper role of intelligence in a planetary
ecology is that of gardener, caregiver, and
maintainer of balance.
Terence McKenna
The proper role of intelligence in a planetary
ecology is that of gardener, caregiver, and
maintainer of balance.
Terence McKenna
All Else is Madness
When you complain,
you make yourself a victim.
Leave the situation,
change the situation,
or accept it.
All else is madness.
Eckhart Tolle
you make yourself a victim.
Leave the situation,
change the situation,
or accept it.
All else is madness.
Eckhart Tolle
Where the Difficulty Begins
It isn't simply that we are different.
It is that our differences incur judgments:
someone is better or worse; one person
is right and the other person is wrong.
To engage our differences is to engage
our judgments, and our judgments
usually pack an emotional punch, and
that is where the difficulty begins.
Diane Musho Hamilton
It is that our differences incur judgments:
someone is better or worse; one person
is right and the other person is wrong.
To engage our differences is to engage
our judgments, and our judgments
usually pack an emotional punch, and
that is where the difficulty begins.
Diane Musho Hamilton
Friday, March 17, 2017
The Dark Side
Fear is the path
to the dark side.
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
Yoda
to the dark side.
Fear leads to anger.
Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.
Yoda
Attempt the Absurd
In order to attain the impossible,
one must attempt the absurd.
Miguel de Cervantes
one must attempt the absurd.
Miguel de Cervantes
Aperture for the Universe
You are an aperture
through which the
universe is looking at
and exploring itself.
Alan Watts
through which the
universe is looking at
and exploring itself.
Alan Watts
Living Relentlessly
Part of what psychedelic means, I think, is
living relentlessly with unanswered questions.
Terence McKenna
living relentlessly with unanswered questions.
Terence McKenna
Wanting What You Get
Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.
Ingrid Bergman
Happiness is wanting what you get.
Ingrid Bergman
Sudden Thrill
You need to let the little things
that would ordinarily bore you
suddenly thrill you.
Andy Warhol
that would ordinarily bore you
suddenly thrill you.
Andy Warhol
Our Own State of Mind
If we try to solve society's problems
without overcoming the confusion
and aggression in our own state of
mind, then our efforts will only
contribute to the basic problems,
instead of solving them.
Chogyam Trungpa
without overcoming the confusion
and aggression in our own state of
mind, then our efforts will only
contribute to the basic problems,
instead of solving them.
Chogyam Trungpa
Real Fearlessness
Real fearlessness is the product of tenderness.
It comes from letting the world tickle your heart,
your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to
open up, without resistance or shyness, and face
the world. You are willing to share your heart
with others.
Chogyam Trungpa
It comes from letting the world tickle your heart,
your raw and beautiful heart. You are willing to
open up, without resistance or shyness, and face
the world. You are willing to share your heart
with others.
Chogyam Trungpa
Love It
Beginner's Mind
If your mind is empty,
it is always ready for anything,
it is open to everything.
In the beginner's mind
there are many possibilities.
In the expert's mind,
it is open to everything.
In the beginner's mind
there are many possibilities.
In the expert's mind,
there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki
Shunryu Suzuki
Perfect the Way You Are
Each of you is perfect the way you are ...
and you can use a little improvement.
Shunryu Suzuki
and you can use a little improvement.
Shunryu Suzuki
Accept Yourself
The most important point
is to accept yourself and
stand on your two feet.
Shunryu Suzuki
is to accept yourself and
stand on your two feet.
Shunryu Suzuki
Laugh at Yourself
When you laugh at yourself more often,
you will realize that you don't need to be
perfect to be accepted.
Sheba Leung
you will realize that you don't need to be
perfect to be accepted.
Sheba Leung
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Good News
The bad news is you're falling
through the air, nothing to hang onto,
no parachute. The good news is
there is no ground.
Chogyam Trungpa
through the air, nothing to hang onto,
no parachute. The good news is
there is no ground.
Chogyam Trungpa
In Harmony
Suffering is how life tells you that
you are resisting or misperceiving
what is real and true. It is the way
life suggests that you are not in
harmony with what is.
Adyashanti
you are resisting or misperceiving
what is real and true. It is the way
life suggests that you are not in
harmony with what is.
Adyashanti
Liberation
This moving away from comfort and security,
this stepping out into what is unknown,
uncharted and shaky - that's called liberation.
Pema Chodron
this stepping out into what is unknown,
uncharted and shaky - that's called liberation.
Pema Chodron
No Way to Do It Right
We live in such a peculiar reality that
there may be no way to do it right.
Thaddeus Golas
there may be no way to do it right.
Thaddeus Golas
Sunday, March 5, 2017
I Don't Mind
Do you want to know my secret?
This is my secret:
I don't mind what happens.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
This is my secret:
I don't mind what happens.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Ruthless Compassion
When we can see that life is already sacred as it is, we can live fully, allowing life to burn away the dross of our fears, our anger, our unkindness, and transform them into ruthless compassion. It is ruthlessness that is the mark of the spiritual warrior, a surrendering to love no matter how we are being tested in the trials of life.
Miruh
Miruh
Mind Doesn't Know
This awake silence is available
to anyone in this moment.
All you have to do is stop
using your mind to look for it.
It doesn't know where to find it.
Adyashanti
to anyone in this moment.
All you have to do is stop
using your mind to look for it.
It doesn't know where to find it.
Adyashanti
Truth Will Make You Free
The saying is, the truth will make you free,
not that it will make you comfortable.
Thaddeus Golas
not that it will make you comfortable.
Thaddeus Golas
Not Thunder
Raise your words, not your voice.
It is rain that grows flowers,
not thunder.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
It is rain that grows flowers,
not thunder.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Not Responsible
As we sit with that discovery,
that it is indeed hopeless, without
resorting to inquiry to try to chase
powerlessness away, we might find
that under the despair is relief -
relief that we are not responsible
for something that we can't control,
relieved of responsibility to fix what
we cannot, relieved of the struggle
against powerlessness, relieved of
the struggle to maintain false identity.
Judy Cohen
Friday, March 3, 2017
Grow Out of That
Bow to the essence in a human being.
Do not be content with judging people
good and bad. Grow out of that.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Do not be content with judging people
good and bad. Grow out of that.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Desire vs. Patience
Desires make slaves out of kings and
patience makes kings out of slaves.
Shams of Tabriz
patience makes kings out of slaves.
Shams of Tabriz
Understanding Life
When you like a flower, you just
pluck it, but when you love a flower,
you water it daily. One who understands
this, understands life.
The Buddha
pluck it, but when you love a flower,
you water it daily. One who understands
this, understands life.
The Buddha
Without Attachment
An aware person is an instrument to
cease suffering, without an attachment
to how suffering ends.
Ram Dass
cease suffering, without an attachment
to how suffering ends.
Ram Dass
What is True
It is very easy to conform to
what your society or your
parents and teachers tell you.
That is a safe and easy way
of existing; but that is not living.
To live is to find out for yourself
what is true.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
what your society or your
parents and teachers tell you.
That is a safe and easy way
of existing; but that is not living.
To live is to find out for yourself
what is true.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Teach Others
If you want to know where to
find your contribution to the world,
look at your wounds. When you learn
how to heal them, teach others.
Emily Maroutian
find your contribution to the world,
look at your wounds. When you learn
how to heal them, teach others.
Emily Maroutian
Leave Each Day Behind
It's good to leave each day behind,
like flowing water, free of sadness.
Yesterday is gone and its tale told.
Today new seeds are growing.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
like flowing water, free of sadness.
Yesterday is gone and its tale told.
Today new seeds are growing.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Love Takes Off Masks
Love takes off masks
that we fear we cannot
live without and know
we cannot live within.
James Baldwin
that we fear we cannot
live without and know
we cannot live within.
James Baldwin
No Content
What is anxiety?
It is just a sensation
of energy in the body.
It has no content,
really.
Sam Harris
It is just a sensation
of energy in the body.
It has no content,
really.
Sam Harris
All There Ever Is
The only thing that is ultimately real
about your journey is the step that
you are taking at this moment. That's
all there ever is.
Eckhart Tolle
about your journey is the step that
you are taking at this moment. That's
all there ever is.
Eckhart Tolle
Already a Masterpiece
Drop the idea of becoming someone,
because you are already a masterpiece.
You cannot be improved. You have only
to come to it, to know it, to realize it.
Osho
because you are already a masterpiece.
You cannot be improved. You have only
to come to it, to know it, to realize it.
Osho
Friday, February 24, 2017
Essential Manifesto of Zen
Zen knows only a vast life which
contains all kinds of contradictions
in a deep harmony.
The night is in harmony with the day,
and life is in harmony with death,
and the earth is in harmony with the sky.
The presence is in harmony with the absence.
This immense harmony, this synchronicity,
is the essential manifesto of Zen.
This is the only way of life which
respects and loves, and denies nothing,
and condemns nothing.
Osho
contains all kinds of contradictions
in a deep harmony.
The night is in harmony with the day,
and life is in harmony with death,
and the earth is in harmony with the sky.
The presence is in harmony with the absence.
This immense harmony, this synchronicity,
is the essential manifesto of Zen.
This is the only way of life which
respects and loves, and denies nothing,
and condemns nothing.
Osho
Everything Becomes Clear
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Osho
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Osho
Sunday, February 19, 2017
As It As It Can Be
Spiritual awakening is the difficult process
whereby the increasing realization is as wrong
as it can be flips suddenly into the realization
that everything is as right as it can be. Or better,
everything is as It as it can be.
Alan Watts
whereby the increasing realization is as wrong
as it can be flips suddenly into the realization
that everything is as right as it can be. Or better,
everything is as It as it can be.
Alan Watts
Your Road
It's your road, and yours alone.
Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Merge With It
When instead of reacting
against a situation,
you merge with it,
the solution arises
out of the situation itself.
Eckhart Tolle
against a situation,
you merge with it,
the solution arises
out of the situation itself.
Eckhart Tolle
Truly Ready
When the student is ready
the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready
the teacher will disappear.
Lao Tzu
the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready
the teacher will disappear.
Lao Tzu
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Each Moment
Each moment is a complete, new experience when
viewed from the eyes of the awakened observer.
Terence McKenna
viewed from the eyes of the awakened observer.
Terence McKenna
The Best You Could
You did the best you could with the knowledge you had in that moment. It's easier to look back at an event and see a better choice or pathway because we already learned from our experience. Hindsight happens after the lesson, so we can't condemn ourselves for not knowing the lesson before we learned it.
Emily Maroutian
Emily Maroutian
The Human Ego
It appears that the human ego itself
is primarily the product and continuation
of the presence of the survival core
of the animal evolution.
David Hawkins
is primarily the product and continuation
of the presence of the survival core
of the animal evolution.
David Hawkins
The Capacity for Equal Pleasure
To the ego, gains lie without; to the spirit, they are internal, for the ever-present joy of existence is independent of content or form. To the spirit, a sunny day or a rainy day are the same. Awareness enjoys qualities rather than grasping at form. Thus, it can enjoy "being with," without having to own or control. Awareness is not driven by goals but instead values the capacity for equal pleasure in all circumstances.
David Hawkins
David Hawkins
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Only in the Roots
Maybe you are searching
among the branches for
what only appears in
the roots.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
among the branches for
what only appears in
the roots.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Give of Your Heart
If you have much,
give of your wealth.
If you have little,
give of your Heart.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
give of your wealth.
If you have little,
give of your Heart.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
What You Really Love
Let yourself be silently drawn
by the strange pull of what
you really love. It will not
lead you astray.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
by the strange pull of what
you really love. It will not
lead you astray.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Holding On
When someone provokes your anger,
the only reason you get angry is
because you're holding on to how
you think something's supposed to be.
Ram Dass
the only reason you get angry is
because you're holding on to how
you think something's supposed to be.
Ram Dass
On Loan
Our partner's sexuality
does not belong to us.
At best, it's on loan with
an option to renew.
Esther Perel
does not belong to us.
At best, it's on loan with
an option to renew.
Esther Perel
Still for Fifty Years
The mystery does not get clearer
by repeating the question, nor is it
bought with going to amazing places.
Until you've kept your eyes and
your wanting still for fifty years,
you don't begin to cross over
from confusion.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
by repeating the question, nor is it
bought with going to amazing places.
Until you've kept your eyes and
your wanting still for fifty years,
you don't begin to cross over
from confusion.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Like a Shepherd
Be a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder.
Help someone's soul heal.
Walk out of your house
like a shepherd.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Help someone's soul heal.
Walk out of your house
like a shepherd.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
The Truth
Most people don't want the truth.
They want constant reassurance
that what they believe is the truth.
Unknown
They want constant reassurance
that what they believe is the truth.
Unknown
Live Without Answers
Disperse your money and attention with
extreme miserliness when people start
telling you they have the answers.
There are no answers at this point.
Part of growing up is to live without answers.
Terence McKenna
extreme miserliness when people start
telling you they have the answers.
There are no answers at this point.
Part of growing up is to live without answers.
Terence McKenna
So Absolutely Free
The only way to deal with an unfree world
is to become so absolutely free that
your very existence is an act of rebellion.
Albert Camus
is to become so absolutely free that
your very existence is an act of rebellion.
Albert Camus
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
No One is in Control
The real truth that dare not speak itself is
that no one is in control, absolutely no one.
This stuff is ruled by the equations of
dynamics and chaos. Now, there may be
entities seeking control, but to seek control
is to take enormous aggravation upon yourself.
It's like trying to control a dream.
Terence McKenna
that no one is in control, absolutely no one.
This stuff is ruled by the equations of
dynamics and chaos. Now, there may be
entities seeking control, but to seek control
is to take enormous aggravation upon yourself.
It's like trying to control a dream.
Terence McKenna
I'm Paying Attention
I understand now that I'm not a mess but
a deeply feeling person in a messy world.
I explain that now, when someone asks me
why I cry so often, I say, "For the same reason
I laugh so often - because I'm paying attention."
Glennon Doyle Melton
a deeply feeling person in a messy world.
I explain that now, when someone asks me
why I cry so often, I say, "For the same reason
I laugh so often - because I'm paying attention."
Glennon Doyle Melton
Friday, February 3, 2017
For What It's Worth
We are caged by our cultural programming.
Culture is a mass hallucination, and when
you step outside the mass hallucination
you see it for what it's worth.
Terence McKenna
Culture is a mass hallucination, and when
you step outside the mass hallucination
you see it for what it's worth.
Terence McKenna
No Within
There is no within.
You can try going within
but there's nothing there.
There's a sense of within
but a sense is a bunch of nothing.
Within is just a thought.
And that itself is also nothing.
Judy Cohen
You can try going within
but there's nothing there.
There's a sense of within
but a sense is a bunch of nothing.
Within is just a thought.
And that itself is also nothing.
Judy Cohen
Like an Overcoat
Ego is a structure that is erected
by a neurotic individual who is
a member of a neurotic culture
against the facts of the matter.
And culture, which we put on
like an overcoat, is the collectivized
consensus about what sort of
neurotic behaviors are acceptable.
Terence McKenna
by a neurotic individual who is
a member of a neurotic culture
against the facts of the matter.
And culture, which we put on
like an overcoat, is the collectivized
consensus about what sort of
neurotic behaviors are acceptable.
Terence McKenna
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Nothing Outside
There is nothing outside of yourself
that can ever enable you to get better,
stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter.
Everything is within. Everything exists.
Seek nothing outside of yourself.
Miyamoto Musashi
that can ever enable you to get better,
stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter.
Everything is within. Everything exists.
Seek nothing outside of yourself.
Miyamoto Musashi
The Peace of God
This is A Course in Miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. I does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.
This course can there be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
This course can there be summed up very simply in this way:
Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.
Do It Now
Into this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky,
Take an axe to the prison wall, escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly
born into color.
Do it now.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky,
Take an axe to the prison wall, escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly
born into color.
Do it now.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Social Action with Love
With this political scene, I don't think
we should sit back and be "just perfect."
But I want to say that in social action,
don't do anything that you do with negativity,
frustration, or anger. Because that will rile
the opposition. Do your social action with love.
Ram Dass
we should sit back and be "just perfect."
But I want to say that in social action,
don't do anything that you do with negativity,
frustration, or anger. Because that will rile
the opposition. Do your social action with love.
Ram Dass
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Moving Without Harming
Snowflakes are beautifully telling
the possibility of fellow travelers
moving without harming each other.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
the possibility of fellow travelers
moving without harming each other.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Out of the Heart
If words come out of the heart,
they will enter the heart, but if
they come from the tongue, they
will not pass beyond the ears.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
they will enter the heart, but if
they come from the tongue, they
will not pass beyond the ears.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Do Not Hide
If you want the moon, do
not hide from the night.
If you want a rose, do not
run from the thorns.
If you want love, do not
hide from yourself.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
not hide from the night.
If you want a rose, do not
run from the thorns.
If you want love, do not
hide from yourself.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
I Will Be Waiting
I will be waiting here ...
For your silence to break,
For your soul to shake,
For your love to wake!
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
For your silence to break,
For your soul to shake,
For your love to wake!
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Function of the Universe
You are a function of what
the whole universe is doing
in the same way that a wave
is a function of what the
whole ocean is doing.
Alan Watts
the whole universe is doing
in the same way that a wave
is a function of what the
whole ocean is doing.
Alan Watts
Completely Unknowable
A lot of what our brain does is
synthesize a hallucination,
a model of the world that
we proceed to live in.
This is a model reality,
the real reality is completely
unknowable.
Dennis McKenna
synthesize a hallucination,
a model of the world that
we proceed to live in.
This is a model reality,
the real reality is completely
unknowable.
Dennis McKenna
Be Patient
When you're anxious or worried, be patient.
The key of patience opens the door of happiness.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
The key of patience opens the door of happiness.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Just Keep Going
Let everything happen to you.
Beauty and terror.
Just keep going.
No feeling is final.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Beauty and terror.
Just keep going.
No feeling is final.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Vehicle for Awakening
We don't need to wait until
we are enlightened before
we act in the world, and
we don't need to withdraw
from the world to
become enlightened.
Conscious social action
can be our own work
on ourselves that becomes
the vehicle for our awakening.
Ram Dass
we are enlightened before
we act in the world, and
we don't need to withdraw
from the world to
become enlightened.
Conscious social action
can be our own work
on ourselves that becomes
the vehicle for our awakening.
Ram Dass
Final, Most Essential
The party told you to reject
the evidence of your eyes and ears.
It was their final, most essential command.
George Orwell, "1984"
the evidence of your eyes and ears.
It was their final, most essential command.
George Orwell, "1984"
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Everyone is Struggling
In all honesty, everyone is struggling.
Some people are just better at hiding it than others.
Will Smith
Some people are just better at hiding it than others.
Will Smith
See Him in Everything
The whole universe is our home and
all residing in it belong to our family.
Instead of trying to see God in a
particular appearance, it is better to
see him in everything.
Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji)
all residing in it belong to our family.
Instead of trying to see God in a
particular appearance, it is better to
see him in everything.
Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaj-ji)
Sunday, January 15, 2017
What Else Have You Got Going
There are no professionals in
the field of self-exploration.
That's everybody's job.
I mean, you are all PhD's
in consciousness exploration,
or if you're not, you should be,
because what else have you got going?
Terence McKenna
the field of self-exploration.
That's everybody's job.
I mean, you are all PhD's
in consciousness exploration,
or if you're not, you should be,
because what else have you got going?
Terence McKenna
Relax
Don't seek, don't search, don't ask,
don't knock, don't demand ~ relax.
If you relax, it comes. If you relax,
it is there. If you relax, you start
vibrating with it.
Osho
don't knock, don't demand ~ relax.
If you relax, it comes. If you relax,
it is there. If you relax, you start
vibrating with it.
Osho
Friday, January 13, 2017
You Know How It Is
You know how it is. Sometimes
we plan a trip to one place,
but something takes us to another.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
we plan a trip to one place,
but something takes us to another.
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Your Own Understanding
You have to take seriously the notion
that understanding the universe
is your responsibility, because
the only understanding of
the universe that will be useful
is your own understanding.
Terence McKenna
that understanding the universe
is your responsibility, because
the only understanding of
the universe that will be useful
is your own understanding.
Terence McKenna
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Shoulders
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ears fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.
We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Naomi Shihab Nye
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ears fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.
We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Naomi Shihab Nye
Friday, January 6, 2017
Choosing What One Desires
To develop depth a man must practice choosing
what he desires - being clear about what is most
important to him, and moving forward with action.
Sometimes this practice will manifest results in
the moment, but most often reaching a larger goal,
living in alignment with purpose, requires making
choices; choices that may not be the most pleasurable
in the moment; choices that require saying "No;"
choices that postpone and delay pleasure. We can
choose how we use the hours and days of our lives,
who we share our life with. Choice is one of our
greatest freedoms and responsibilities. Shallow men
are washed along with the currents of life and soon
find themselves washed up and stranded in some
backwater of life.
Christopher Sunyata
what he desires - being clear about what is most
important to him, and moving forward with action.
Sometimes this practice will manifest results in
the moment, but most often reaching a larger goal,
living in alignment with purpose, requires making
choices; choices that may not be the most pleasurable
in the moment; choices that require saying "No;"
choices that postpone and delay pleasure. We can
choose how we use the hours and days of our lives,
who we share our life with. Choice is one of our
greatest freedoms and responsibilities. Shallow men
are washed along with the currents of life and soon
find themselves washed up and stranded in some
backwater of life.
Christopher Sunyata
Choose!
There are moments when one has to choose between
living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely - or
dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence
that the world in its hypocrisy demands.
You have that moment now. Choose!
Oscar Wilde
living one's own life, fully, entirely, completely - or
dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence
that the world in its hypocrisy demands.
You have that moment now. Choose!
Oscar Wilde
Thursday, January 5, 2017
The Song Still in Them
Most men lead lives of quiet desperation
and go to the grave with the song still in them.
Henry David Thoreau (misquoted)
and go to the grave with the song still in them.
Henry David Thoreau (misquoted)
Become Acquainted with Your Animal
We are prejudiced in regard to the animal. People don't understand when I tell them they should become acquainted with their animals or assimilate their animals. They think the animal is always jumping over walls and raising hell all over town. Yet, in nature, the animal is a well-behaved citizen. It is pious, it follows the path with great regularity, it does nothing extravagant. Only man is extravagant. So if you assimilate the character of the animal you become a peculiarly law-abiding citizen, you go very slowly; and you become very reasonable in your ways, in as much as you can afford it.
Carl Jung
Carl Jung
The Animal in Man
When we say "the animal in man," this always strikes us
as something horrible. But this animal in man
is not horrible, no more that animals are horrible,
for they fulfill God's will most faithfully; they live
to fulfill their Creator's purpose. We do not do this.
We meddle with the work of the Creator, for we always
want to be something different from what we are.
Our ambition is not to be the whole of ourselves, for that
would be unpleasant. But the animals are themselves and
they fulfill the will of God that is within them in a true
and faithful manner.
Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Manhood
We tend to view manhood as the outcome
of some external achievement, not as
the development of inner strength.
Ray Raphael
of some external achievement, not as
the development of inner strength.
Ray Raphael
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
What is the Point?
We fight a fierce war within.
What is the point of fighting
with others?
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
What is the point of fighting
with others?
Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi
Enter Into Life Fully
We can't push away the world.
We have to enter into life fully
in order to become free.
Ram Dass
We have to enter into life fully
in order to become free.
Ram Dass
Before You Speak
Before you speak, let your words
pass through three gates.
At the first gate, ask yourself, "Is it true?"
At second gate ask, "Is it necessary?"
At the third gate ask, "Is it kind?"
Sufi saying
pass through three gates.
At the first gate, ask yourself, "Is it true?"
At second gate ask, "Is it necessary?"
At the third gate ask, "Is it kind?"
Sufi saying
We Are All Quite Similar
Joy and ultimate happiness
come from living a life of purpose.
It's so much easier to put up walls
and judge others who seem different
from you, but when you pull back
the layers underneath it all, we realize
we are all quite similar.
Katie Meyler
come from living a life of purpose.
It's so much easier to put up walls
and judge others who seem different
from you, but when you pull back
the layers underneath it all, we realize
we are all quite similar.
Katie Meyler
Standing Naked
You are not naked when you take off your clothes.
You still wear your religious assumptions, your
prejudices, your fears, your illusions, your delusions.
When you shed the cultural operating system, then,
essentially you stand naked before the inspection
of your own psyche.
Terence McKenna
You still wear your religious assumptions, your
prejudices, your fears, your illusions, your delusions.
When you shed the cultural operating system, then,
essentially you stand naked before the inspection
of your own psyche.
Terence McKenna
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