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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Bob Peck
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August 28 - September 19, 2025
“May all beings be happy and secure, may they be happy-minded. Whatever living beings there are - feeble or strong, long, stout or medium, short, small or large, seen or unseen (ghosts, gods and hell-beings), those dwelling far or near, those who are born or those who await rebirth, may all beings, without exception be happy-minded. Let none deceive another nor despise any person whatsoever in any place; in anger or ill-will let them not wish any suffering to each other. Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, let him cultivate a boundless heart
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“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loved to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (mammon).” —Jesus, Gospel of Matthew 6:24
“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” —Jesus, Gospel of Mark 10:24-25
“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ―Laozi, Tao Te Ching
“A kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit. ...I have severed all ties because I seek deliverance. How is it possible for me to return to the world? He who seeks religious truth, which is the highest treasure of all, must leave behind all that can concern him or draw away his attention, and must be bent upon that one goal alone. He must free his soul from covetousness and lust, and also from the desire for power.” —Buddha
“Only when the last tree has died, and the last river has been poisoned, and the last fish has been caught, will we realize that we cannot eat money.” —Cree Native American Proverb
"If you have money, do not lend it out at interest. Rather, give it to one from whom you will not get it back." —Jesus, Gospel of Thomas, Saying 95
Chakra, meaning “wheel” in Sanskrit, represents a series of centers of energy (prana) in the body. While they are in the body, they’re not physical centers. They could be considered “astral”, “etheric”, or a part of what is often referred to as our “subtle body”.27 They are on another (non-gross matter) plane of existence.
“I have been meditating, doing yoga, chanting, doing strict devotional practices, studied under a Hindu guru, Buddhist meditation teachers, all of this for the past twenty-five years, and I haven’t gotten rid of a single neurosis. What has happened though, is where they used to be these overwhelming, massive monsters… now they’re like little goblins. ‘Oh hi there Anger, how are you doing? Oh hey Sexual Perversion, been awhile since I’ve seen you!” —Ram Dass
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.” ―Epictetus
“Half of life is lost in charming others. The other half is lost in going through anxieties caused by others. Leave this play, you have played enough.” —Rumi
They asked further, "How did Christ meditate, Maharajji?" He replied: “He lost himself in love… He was one with all beings and he had great love for all in the world. He was crucified so that his spirit could spread throughout the world. He was one with God. He sacrificed his body for the dharma. He never died. He is atman living in the hearts of all. See all beings as the reflection of Christ.” 42
“Don’t worry about the past. Just be here now.” “Don’t worry about the future. Just be here now.” 48
On another occasion, a devotee asked Maharajji, “How do I get enlightened?” He famously said, “Feed people.”
“The world is a gymnasium, we come here to get strong.” —Swami Vivekananda
[Nondualism disclaimer: to the nondualist, there is a play on using the term “destination”, because we are already there; we’re just not aware of it yet. But within the dimension of time, it takes us lifetimes of experiences to realize our inherent, inescapable union.]
The famous American Buddhist, Dr. Robert Thurman, father of actress Uma Thurman, quipped in a TED talk: “The Buddhists think that, because we've all had infinite previous lives, we've all been each other's relatives, actually. Therefore all of you, in the Buddhist view, in some previous life, although you don't remember it and neither do I, you have been my mother… for which I do apologize for the trouble I caused you.”
“Unfulfilled desires are the root cause of reincarnation. You don't have to be a king in order to have complete fulfillment. Nor do you end desires by giving up everything and becoming a poor man. You have your own self-created destiny with its lessons to be learned, and you must play well that part for which you were sent here.” 3 —Paramahansa Yogananda
“Worn-out garments are shed by the body. Worn-out bodies are shed by the dweller.” —Krishna, Bhagavad Gita 11.22
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” —William Shakespeare, As You Like It
“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” —Pema Chödrön, American Tibetan Buddhist, author of When Things Fall Apart
Everything is a vehicle for getting liberated. And our reaction determines our freedom. We can either have the Monkey Mind in charge (carnal desire) or let the Self come through (be an instrument of the Lord’s Peace).
The fundamental component of the psychedelic experience is the dissolution of boundaries. This includes altering our sense perception, but also the dissolving of conceptual ideas, and even erasing the ego itself.
“Unless you have made a clear decision to turn your back on samsara, then however many prayers you recite, however much you meditate, however many years you remain in retreat, it will all be in vain. You may have a long life, but it will be without essence. You may accumulate great wealth, but it will be meaningless. The only thing that is really worth doing is to get steadily closer to enlightenment and further away from samsara. Think about it carefully.” 46 —Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
The Buddha’s path is called “The Middle Way”, because he refused both sides of the spectrum of the material world.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” —Jesus, Gospel of Matthew 7:13-14
“The impermanent has no reality; reality lies in the eternal. Those who have seen the boundary between these two have attained the end of all knowledge.” —Krishna, Bhagavad Gita 2.16
"This place is a dream. Only a sleeper considers it real. Then death comes like dawn, and you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief." —Jalaluddin Rumi
"The world, like a dream full of attachments and aversions, seems real until the awakening." —Adi Shankara
"Wrath springs only from thwarted desires. I do not expect anything from others, so their actions cannot be in opposition to wishes of mine. I would not use you for my own ends; I am happy only in your own true happiness." 17 —Sri Yukteswar Giri
“Before there was anything there was the One. When the universe came into being, The One became many.” —Rig Veda
“The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.” 41 ―Thích Nhất Hạnh
“They blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed.” —Buddha, Dhammapada, Verse 227
