People don’t realize that now is all there ever is; there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind.
If I thought it was my identity to be a spiritual teacher, that would be a delusion. It’s not an identity. It’s simply a function in this world.
Power over others is weakness disguised as strength.
As you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life. It means fear is no longer a dominant factor in what you do and no longer prevents you from taking action to initiate change.
So one could say that the only real problem is dysfunctional thinking, the rest are challenges, not problems.
I have lived with several Zen masters – all of them cats.
You are not IN the universe, you ARE the universe, an intrinsic part of it. Ultimately you are not a person, but a focal point where the universe is becoming conscious of itself. What an amazing miracle.
Always work with the present moment, not against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.
Stressful energy arises when you think some future moment is more important than the present moment, and the doing becomes only a means to an end.
The planet will not survive another hundred years of the same state of consciousness that produced the external effects of recent history.
There is nothing that strengthens the ego more than being right !
Your inner purpose is to awaken. It is as simple as that. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet – because it is the purpose of humanity.
The thinking mind is a useful and powerful tool, but it is also very limiting when it takes over your life completely, when you don’t realize that it is only a small aspect of the consciousness that you are.
Many people identify their sense of self with the problems they have, or think they have.
Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body’s reaction to your mind – or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body.
Often suffering is the trigger, or a spiritual teaching, or both. Call it readiness, or grace. This is the beginning of the awakening process.
What you react to in others, you strengthen in yourself.
Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.
It seems that most people need to experience a great deal of suffering before they will relinquish resistance and accept – before they will forgive.
The secret of awakening is to unconditionally accept this moment as it is.