Brett > Brett's Quotes

“One of the problems of spiritual searching is that we tend to feel that we can help ourselves purely by reading a lot and practicing by ourselves, not associating ourselves with a particular lineage. Without a teacher to surrender to, without an object of devotion, we cannot free ourselves from spiritual materialism.”
― Chögyam Trungpa, The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation

“The ultimate implication of the words “peace on earth” is to remove altogether the ideas of peace and war and to open yourself equally and completely to the positive and negative aspects of the world.”
― Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

“Generosity is a willingness to give, to open without philosophical or pious or religious motives, just simply doing what is required at any moment in any situation, not being afraid to receive anything.”
― Chögyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism

“Because if it hurts, it's your thinking that's hurting you.”
― Byron Katie, Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie

“Life is so simple: We walk; we sit; we lie horizontal. That's about it. Everything else is a story about what's going on while we're doing it.”
― Byron Katie, Who Would You Be Without Your Story?: Dialogues with Byron Katie

“Because your attainment is always ahead, you will always be sacrificing yourself now for some ideal in the future.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“But the purpose of studying Buddhism is to study ourselves and to forget ourselves. When we forget ourselves, we actually are the true activity of the big existence, or reality itself.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“Before we were born we had no feeling; we were one with the universe. This is called “mind-only,” or “essence of mind,” or “big mind.” After we are separated by birth from this oneness, as the water falling from the waterfall is separated by the wind and rocks, then we have feeling. You have difficulty because you have feeling. You attach to the feeling you have without knowing just how this kind of feeling is created. When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact we have no fear of death anymore, and we have no actual difficulty in our life.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“it is a heretical view to expect something outside this world. We do not seek for something besides ourselves. We should find the truth in this world, through our difficulties, through our suffering.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

“All that I possess and use Is like the fleeting vision of a dream. It fades into the realms of memory, And fading, will be seen no more.”
― Śāntideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva

“When we ask it about our current path, we must look at the values we have chosen to live by. Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love? We must look at our life without sentimentality, exaggeration, or idealism. Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”
― Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life

“There’s nothing that does not grow light Through habit and familiarity. Putting up with little cares I’ll train myself to bear with great adversity!”
― Śāntideva, The Way of the Bodhisattva

“When we train our mind to embrace what’s hard instead of trying to get rid of it, we have begun to walk a path of growth, happiness, and true resilience. Our”
― Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong