Deeply Human Spirituality
“A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply human.”
–Rev. William Sloan Coffin, Jr. (American Liberal Christian Clergyman and Peace Activist, 1924-2006)
Finding the Underground Stream of Life
“We are each like a well that has its source in a common underground stream which supplies all. The deeper down the well I go, the closer I come to the source which puts me in contact with all other life.”
–John Welch, O. Carm (American Carmelite Priest and Professor at the Washington Theological Union)
What’s NOT the Answer?
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”
–Jim Carrey (Canadian Actor and Comedian, 1962-)
The Tao That Can Be Spoken Is Not the Eternal Tao
I’ve been studying the Tao de Ching, a.k.a.”Tao Te Ching,” a.k.a. Dao De Ching” since my early teens, and I’ve recently been spending some time with a translation by Derek Lin. (You can find it at: www.Taoism.net and Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006)
See what you think of this version of the famous first chapter:
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of myriad things
Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence
Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations
These two emerge together but differ in name
The unity is said to be the mystery
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders
–Lao-Tzu (Obscure Chinese Philosopher, Founder of Taoism and Alleged Author of the Tao te Ching, c.604-c.531 B.C.)
When You Get Better Everyone Gets Better
“This is why alchemy exists,” the boy said. “So that everyone will search for his treasure, find it, and then want to be better than he was in his former life. Lead will play its role until the world has no further need for lead; and then lead will have to turn itself into gold. That’s what alchemists do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
–Paulo Coelho (Brazilian Writer, 1947-)
Losing Connection
“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world we lose connection with one another and ourselves.”
–Jack Kornfield (American Meditation Teacher in the Theravadan Buddhist Tradition, 1945-)
Science and Wisdom
“Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.”
–Bertrand Russell (Welsh Mathematician, Philosopher, Pacifist and, in 1950, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, 1872-1970 )
“RC Series Bundle: What I Believe (Routledge Classics)” (Bertrand Russell)
The Power of Intention
“Ultimately, human intentionality is the most powerful evolutionary force on this planet.”
–George Leonard (American Aikidoist, President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute and Writer, 1923-2010) and Michael Murphy (American Cofounder of the Esalen Institute and Author, 1930-)
Define Yourself
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.”
–Harvey Samuel Firestone (American Industrialist, 1868-1938)
Tansforming Adversity
“Of all the virtues we can learn, no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.”
–Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Italian-born Hungarian American Psychologist and Author, 1934-)
