Aleph

by Paulo Coelho

according to Zen philosophy, the giver, the beggar, and the alms money itself all form part of an important chain of equilibrium. The person doing the begging does so because he’s needy, but the person doing the giving also does so out of need.

“It takes a huge effort to free yourself from memory,

I see millions and millions of people convinced that they’re communicating with the Cosmos and thus saving the human race. Each time it fails, as it always will, they lose a little bit of hope. The next new book or seminar restores their faith, but after a few weeks they forget what they learned, and hope drains away.”

The Path of Peace appears to be a fight, but it isn’t. It’s the art of filling up what is missing and emptying out what is superfluous.

We all commit adultery in our thoughts, ask forgiveness, then do it all over again.

If only she would meet a single man who could make her happy and not interrupt her brilliant career, who could hold her in his arms at sunset and always light the sacred fire whenever she needed help. She deserves it.

And I still believe in the mystery of the transubstantiation of bread and wine.”

but a love with no name and no explanation, like a river that cannot explain why it follows a particular course but simply flows onward.