The will to grow is, in essence, the same phenomenon as love. Genuinely loving people are, by definition, growing people.
But for the first time, I had a religious identity. I had come home. And so I called myself a Zen Buddhist at the age of 18.
If we seek to be loved – if we expect to be loved – this cannot be accomplished; we will be dependent and grasping not genuinely loving.
The path to holiness lies through questioning everything.
Many addictions can be far more dangerous than addiction to drugs. The addiction to power...
America’s greatest sin is the refusal to delay gratification.
Listening well is an exercise of attention and by necessity hard work. It is because they do not realize this or because they are not willing to do the work that most people do not listen well.
We cannot solve a problem by saying, “It’s not my problem.” We cannot solve a problem by hoping that someone else will solve it for us. I can solve a problem only when I say, “This is my problem and it’s up to me to solve it.”
God wants us to become himself or herself or itself. We are growing toward Godhood. God is the goal of evolution.
We skim over the surface thoughtlessly. But we must acknowledge that thinking well is a time-consuming process. We can’t expect instant results. We have to slow down a bit, and take the time to contemplate, meditate, and even pray. It is the only route to a more meaningful and efficient existence.
If you wish to discern either the presence or absence of integrity, you need to ask only one question. What is missing? Has anything been left out?
Often the most loving thing we can do when a friend is in pain is to share the pain-to be there even when we have nothing to offer except our presence and even when being there is painful to ourselves.
I have said I have met Satan, and this is true. But it is not tangible. It no more has horns, hooves and a forked tail than God has a long white beard. Even the name, Satan, is just a name we have given to something basically nameless.
From the age of three on, as far back as I remember, I just knew there was a God behind everything.
When we love something it is of value to us, and when something is of value to us we spend time with it, time enjoying it and time taking care of it...
A life of total dedication to the truth also means a life of willingness to be personally challenged.
Self examination is the key to insight, which is the key to wisdom.
We are most often in the dark when we are the most certain, and the most enlightened when we are the most confused.
Genuine love is volitional rather than emotional.
I believe it would be considerably healthier for us to dare to live without a reason for many things than with reasons that are simplistic.