o, eryx

"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."

"He described himself not so much as a poet or writer but as “an archeologist of morning."

"Behind this understanding of life is a profound theology. Man shares with nature the fact of creaturehood. But man stands apart from all other creatures in that he was created in the image of God. For this reason, he enjoys a relationship to God different from that of all other creatures. However, this does not mean that men will ever transcend creaturehood. Indeed, the very root of sin is unwillingness to acknowledge the reality and implications of creaturehood. The fact that man is a physical creature in the world is neither the cause nor the measure of his sinfulness and thus a state from which he must be delivered. Sin does not result from the body’s burdening down the soul or clouding the mind; it results from rebellion of the will, the self. The acceptance of man’s creaturehood, the confession of complete and utter dependence upon the Creator God, is essential to man’s true existence. Man truly knows himself, recognizes his true self, only when he realizes that he is God’s creature. Then he accepts the humble role of one whose very life is contingent upon God’s faithfulness and whose chief joy is to serve and worship his Creator. The root of sin is found not in succumbing to the physical side of his being, but in the intent to lift himself out of his creaturehood, to exalt himself above God, to refuse to give God the worship, praise, and obedience that are his due."

"Every church should have a physical examination at the entrance to the theological college, and only admit those men who would have passed as first-class lives with an insurance company. And the working minister should have his own rules of health — to have his study re-charged with oxygen every hour, to sleep with his bedroom window open, to walk four miles a day, to play an outdoor game once a week, to have six weeks’ holiday a year and once in seven years three months—all that his thought and teaching may be oxygenated and the fresh air of Christianity fill the souls of his people."

"Do not try to find Salvation with your friend or lover. Be satisfied with a human being in this relationship and look elsewhere for your god."

"I give you Julia de Burgos, who confronts herself—the false self—in this poem: Who rises in my verses is not your voice. It is my voice, because you are the dressing and the essence is me; and the most profound abyss is spread between us. You, honey of courtesan hypocrisies; not me; in all my poems I undress my heart. You are like your world, selfish; not me, who gambles everything betting on what I am. (…) You curl your hair and paint yourself; not me; the wind curls my hair; the sun paints me. (…) You in yourself have no say; everyone governs you; your husband, your parents, your family, the priest, the dressmaker, the theatre, the dance hall, the auto, the fine furnishings, the feast, champagne, heaven and hell, and the social “what will they say.” Not in me, in me only my heart governs, only my thought; who governs in me is me."

"Probably the most horrible mistake that is made by people who misunderstand Buddhism is to see the goal of the path as the same as the goal of Samsara. Samsara is the cycle of dissatisfaction that most people live stuck in. It is characterized by the pursuit of the ideal Self and ideal external circumstances that support and maintain that ideal Self. It is characterized by forever journeying towards some fantasy reality that is never actually found. That pursuit is the cause of all kinds of dissatisfaction and even all-out misery. When people initially enter the path, it is easy to have the same general rationale about one day achieving an ideal Self. It is easy to maintain the same perspective that one has always had, but to dress it up in spiritual language. I have met many sincere spiritual people who seem to think that being Buddhist (or spiritual or whatever) means being a pure perfect holy person beyond all doubts, errors and mundane concerns. While this view may be appropriate to some vehicles or traditions, it is not the view of Dzogchen, where the path leads us into something intrinsic, what we already are, rather than being about becoming something else. I have seen many practitioners ashamed of their flaws, hiding their flaws and running from their flaws. This is a painful way to live. There is always the constant threat of some other imperfection, or failure that could ruin everything. An alternative approach is one where Self is taken less seriously, since it is discovered to not be a solid, continuous reality, but instead an open-ended possibility. In that case there is room for moments to be what they are. Self might arise in the next moment completely differently and that is the interesting thing about the art of experience."

"Merwin: “If the Buddha is not you, finally the Buddha is of no interest to you. The Buddha is of such interest to you because you are the Buddha."

"Epstein: “Buddha said that ‘we’ve turned this world into a painful place, but this world does not have to be a painful place, this world can be a world inhabited by Buddhas. But it’s up to each one of us to turn ourselves into a Buddha. That’s the work.’"