The Power of an Open Question Quotes

“The fact that nothing is certain, and we therefore can’t hold on to anything, can evoke fear and depression in the mind. But it can also evoke a sense of wonder, curiosity, and freedom.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“How do we live a life we can’t hold on to?” How do we live with the fact that the moment we’re born we move closer to death; when we fall in love we sign up for grief? How do we reconcile that gain always ends in loss; gathering, in separation?”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Envision living in a culture not based upon fixed views. Imagine activities that do not stem from “I am”—not even “I am a Buddhist” or “I am a member of the culture of truth” or “I am Indian, Tibetan, or American.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The greatest kindness we have to offer others is to not withdraw into our self.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Strength is our willingness to stay present in the face of uncertainty.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The strength, or “tolerance,” it takes to heal has nothing to do with a grin-and-bear-it machismo. True strength is like a flexible lacquer bowl—if you drop it, it will bounce—as opposed to a hard ceramic one that shatters into a hundred pieces.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“emptiness, also known as the “E” word among Buddhists.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Koans take the art of questioning into the realm of practice. Koans are questions that emerge from dualistic, conceptual mind. Yet we cannot answer them in the same way in which we asked them. In search of an answer they take us beyond the mind of objectification. We usually associate koans with Zen practice. Perhaps Zen practitioners got the idea of koan practice from the Buddha himself.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The unique beauty and kindness of the Buddha’s approach is that it never suggests we need to experience anything other than what we experience. The Buddha never said that some thoughts are bad or wrong and we should reject them. Thoughts and emotions—all manner of occurrences—arise in our lives, and we can’t control them.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The Buddha didn’t say that everything is one. He said that everything arises in dependence upon something “other.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The Buddha’s process of investigation can be challenging. This is not because his teachings are abstract but rather because they urge us to deeply explore our own experience.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Where do we stop and where does our universe begin? Here we find the Buddha just warming up . . .”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“we access our greatest intelligence through engaging our life with the spirit of wonderment, not through seeking absolute conclusions.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Karma is a loaded word. Karma is popularly used to describe a sort of “divine plan” that includes its own system of punishment and reward. But the Sanskrit word karma simply means activity. What is the activity we are describing here? It is the activity of objectification. There is no Dr. Evil sitting in a large chair petting his cat and controlling our karma. There is no judge, no wise old man with a long white beard, no list of ethical “rights” and “wrongs.” Karma doesn’t predetermine anything. In fact, karma is just the movement of objectified experience. Karma is the natural, impersonal law of cause and effect. As long as we objectify things, we will continue to live in a world that follows the dictates of karma.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“The way we respond to the stream of momentary experiences we call “our life” determines our move toward our habitual search for security or toward awakening.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

“Strength is a soft, agile, and open mind that bears witness to life, rather than trying to fight against or live around undesirable experiences. Strength is our willingness to stay present in the face of uncertainty.”
― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty