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Famous Quotations
 Have you ever wondered why libraries have special atmospheres? They are places where many congregate but where silence is the code. Quietness in an atmosphere means there is the presence of quiet minds, and quiet minds are not only relaxed, they can concentrate easily and create more freely. Imagine you are in the library of your mind, browsing the accumulated wisdom on the shelves of your life - listen to the silence, be aware of the stillness. Now you can really listen. Now you can really hear. Now you can really think. Now you can create. And behold, you are an artist. Did you not know that silence and creativity are lovers?
To transform breakdowns into breakthroughs is the whole function of a master. The psychotherapist simply patches you up. That is his function. He is not there to transform you. You need a meta-psychology, the psychology of the buddhas.
It is the greatest adventure in life to go through a breakdown consciously. It is the greatest risk because there is no guarantee that the breakdown will become a breakthrough. It does become, but these things cannot be guaranteed. Your chaos is very ancient - for many, many lives you have been in chaos. It is thick and dense. It is almost a universe in itself. So when you enter into it with your small capacity, of course there is danger. But without facing this danger nobody has ever become integrated, nobody has ever become an individual, indivisible.
Zen, or meditation, is the method which will help you to go through the chaos, through the dark night of the soul, balanced, disciplined, alert. The dawn is not far away, but before you can reach the dawn, the dark night has to be passed through. And as the dawn comes closer, the night will become darker.
True self-awareness, plus the ability to choose our perceptions of life, the universe and everything, is the basis of free will. Every situation and scene in front of us has so many possibilities in terms of how we perceive and interpret. If someone is 10% selfish and 90% generous what should we focus on, what should we perceive first within them? Most of us are now well trained to perceive and focus on the negative, the selfishness in others, and to follow it quickly with accusation and judgement. We forget that what we perceive is what we empower within another and, more importantly what we perceive is what we empower within ourselves in that moment. And what we choose to see is usually what we get. So how important is it that we choose to perceive only the best, the highest, the greatest in another, even if it's only a half a percent? Bosses and parents - take note!! Don't forget - your perception is your reality. Your perception is what you project. And what you project is what comes back!
Life experiences are like sentences - we are always looking for the full stop, the conclusion. It's OK to end a train of thought, but not thought itself. Thoughts are the beginning of our creation and are here to be creative. Thoughts are like the magic carpet on which the soul rides across eternity - in reality, there are no endings, no conclusions. Rest for the spirit (which is what we are) is when we allow only the current of the purest thoughts to flow through our mind - thoughts which carry good wishes and blessings for ourselves and others. This is not so much going with the flow, as being in the flow, and being refreshed by the flow. It is how we refresh ourselves. For when we have powerful, positive thoughts for and about others, who experiences them first?
People are afraid, very much afraid of those who know themselves. They have a certain power, a certain aura and a certain magnetism, a charisma that can take out alive, young people from the traditional imprisonment....
The enlightened man cannot be enslaved - that is the difficulty - and he cannot be imprisoned.... Every genius who has known something of the inner is bound to be a little difficult to be absorbed; he is going to be an upsetting force. The masses dont want to be disturbed, even though they may be in misery; they are in misery, but they are accustomed to the misery. And anybody who is not miserable looks like a stranger.
The enlightened man is the greatest stranger in the world; he does not seem to belong to anybody. No organization confines him, no community, no society, no nation.
The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.
Life is a game, play it.
People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.
Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense. All other worldly passions seem to follow in its train.
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.
I'm astounded by people who want to know the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.
The moral virtues, then, are produced in us neither by nature nor against nature. Nature, indeed, prepares in us the ground for their reception, but their complete formation is the product of habit.
The strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone.
You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
In historical events great men -- so-called -- are but labels serving to give a name to the event, and like labels they have the least possible connexion with the event itself.
Cheerfulness can make any face look beautiful. It is an inexpensive way to improve your looks!
Why should we use our creative power...? Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate, so indifferent to fighting and accumulation of objects and money.
The ability to enjoy my own company is one of lifes most valuable gifts.
If you do not sow in spring you will not reap in autumn
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
Man can alter his life by altering his thinking.
I believe that government is the servant of the people and not their master.
Enlightenment must come little by little - otherwise it would overwhelm.
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