A Bit of a Puzzle
“If enlightenment is the unquestioned goal of existence, what about the problem of timeless nondual being, with all of eternity to be nondual, yet somehow and for some purpose choosing to manifest intricately and perniciously dual forms?”
–Richard Grossinger (a.k.a. Richard Towers, American Writer, Anthropologist and Publisher of North Atlantic Books, 1944-)
Establishing An Enlightened Society
“In order to establish an enlightened society for others, we need to discover what inherently we have to offer the world. So, to begin with, we should make an effort to examine our own experience, in order to see what it contains that is of value in helping ourselves and others to uplift their existence.”
–Chögyam Trungpa (Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Teacher, Scholar, Artist and Founder of Naropa University, 1940-1987)
“Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior” (Chogyam Trungpa)
The Important Thing Is the Search
“But the important thing is not the finding, it is the seeking, it is the devotion with which one spins the wheel of prayer and scripture, discovering the truth little by little. If this machine gave you the truth immediately, you would not recognize it, because your heart would not have been purified by the long quest.”
–Umberto Eco (Italian Writer and Semiologist, 1932- )
Realizing Enlightenment
“Enlightenment is not an attainment: it is a realization. When you wake up, everything changes and nothing changes. If a blind man realizes that he can see, has the world changed?”
–Dan Millman (American Writer, Philosopher and Former World Class Trampolinist, 1946-)
Sources of Light
“The light in the world comes principally from two sources, —the sun, and the student’s lamp.”
–Christian Nestell Bovée (American Lawyer and Writer, 1820-1904)
From Empathy to Enlightenment
“Let thy Soul lend its ear to every cry of pain like as the lotus bares its heart to drink the morning sun.
Let not the fierce Sun dry one tear of pain before thyself hast wiped it from the sufferer’s eye.
But let each burning human tear drop on thy heart and there remain, nor ever brush it off, until the pain that caused it is removed.
These tears, O thou of heart most merciful, these are the streams that irrigate the fields of charity immortal.”
–Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (Russian Author, Translator and Founder of the Theosophical Society, 1831-1891)
“The Voice of the Silence (Verbatim Edition)” (Helena Petrovna Blavatsky)
Understanding Who You Are. And Doing Something About It
“We look at some people as if they were special, gifted, divine. Nobody is special and gifted and divine. No more than you are, no more than I am. The only difference, the very only one, is that they have begun to understand what they really are and have begun to practice it.”
–Richard Bach (American Writer, 1936-)
Unified Through Enlightenment
“Men of vision caught glimpses of truth and beauty shining aloft like stars: and in these glimpses was a new hope for the unification of mankind through enlightenment.”
–Sir Robert Falconer (Canadian Academic, Bible Scholar and, from 1907-1932, President of the University of Toronto, 1867-1943)
Freedom Starts With Your Concepts of Yourself
“To understand a free individual we must take in those concepts by which he determines himself.”
–Rudolf Steiner (Croatian-born Austrian Mystic, Occultist, Social Philosopher, Architect and Founder of Anthroposophy, 1861-1925)
This important observation is from The Philosophy of Freedom. If you are not so familiar with Rudolf Steiner’s work, it’s good to know that this book is also known by two other titles: The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity (1921) and Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path (1995). They are all the same work, but if you really study all three you will find that there are differences in the translations of each of them.
When You Finally Find Yourself
“When the ‘I am’ is discovered – and every enlightened tradition has said this – we find ourselves and we find God. Look for yourself, and you’ll find your creator.”
–Carlos Warter (Chilean-born Psychiatrist, Author and Lecturer, 1950-)
“Who Do You Think You Are? The Healing Power of Your Sacred Self” (Carlos Warter)