Divinity School Quotes

“Life steers us
making sure
we grow hesitant
about things
once beyond
question.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Well what do I do with you
if there is no single good
What do you do with me
if there is no single good
What do we do with the world
if there is no single good
What can we do for each other
if there is no single good
How do we decide
if there is no single good
Aren’t we destined to fail
if there is no single good
Will our ego take a hit
if there is no single good
Won’t our ego fall
if there is no single good
Is it the only good
that there is no single good?”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Linger in the space of
not knowing—
stay longer, stay with
me
in the space of
wisdom.
If you dream of
reason,
you are dreaming.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“If obeying one god
displeases another
if piety toward one is
offense to another
the world becomes flexible
the colors come alive with
nuance
moral possibility
ethical imagination.
One god, one truth
many gods, many truths.
One god, one possibility
endless gods
and the possibilities
become endless.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“We and motherly love
are made for each other and
where that bond fails
human life fails.
If you can’t love your mother
you can love
Hera
the Madonna
the Earth itself.
When we love our mother, we feel peace.
When we don’t, we feel
abstract vagueness
blank productivity
compulsive sympathy
malign curiosity.
The light still glows
in a whiff, melancholy way.
We say some pretty critical things just to defend ourselves
not guilty, not frightened, not shaken, not disgusted
we dance around frantically like a wild animal,
we hope we’ll soon be ourselves again
in a weary banality that reminds us of death.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“No end
No beginning
Evolution, devolution
Contraction, expansion
Expansion, contraction
Is it infinite or is it
calculable?
Does the world fit
in one mind or does
it not? Does it
fit in the mind of God,
is someone keeping track?
How many gods do we
need for someone to keep
track of the universe?”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Birds fly by
in a world of endless flux
Seasons change
in a world of endless flux
The earth cools and heats up
in a world of endless flux
Our desire to find permanence for ourselves
in this endless world of flux.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Religion is filled with
pain, pleasure and beauty—
all attention-grabbing devices.
Each religion,
a local religion
every moment
every morning.
Every morning
our attention
new.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“The art is not writing
it’s witnessing
The art is not painting
it’s seeing
The art is not singing
it’s hearing
The art is not doing
it’s being”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Language carries within it
unconscious limitations,
all misuses, linguistically
all misuses, socially.
Language like money
has heavy karma.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“The text wraps the space
between heaven and earth—
touching heaven, it helps
us see it and yet
hides it, shelters it, covers
it up.
Beautiful and translucent
barrier.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“The text is inexhaustible. You can swim in
it and never get to the bottom of it.
They say the writers did this on purpose,
layer upon layer.
Is it because there is so much biblical meaning?
Or is it because we are so good at reading meaning into text,
well-experienced with reading
into our own existence.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Everywhere, and
no more hidden
than the air itself.
Also, breath.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“I gave him life
He gave me the sense of
eternal life
A fair exchange, wouldn’t you say?
Anyway I loved him
but didn’t love my son being a zealot
(the water to wine piece was nice).
He was crucified—
this means
the world is
losing its
innocence at
immeasurable
speed.
He was crucified—
it hurts to say it.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Didn’t know
a merciful attitude
usually achieves
more accurate
results
that rules have
no existence
outside of
individuals
that when we’re
judging we’re not
paying attention.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Magdalene is a saint
because what greater suffering
than to love a holy man?”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Should we judge Judas?
What one judges one becomes.
We are all betrayer and betrayed,
a natural consequence
of an immortal soul.
You have sold yours
many times.
Shinran the Japanese monk
ate meat and the nun Enshini
was his wife.
There is no room for the practitioner
to be concerned about
being good and bad, he said.
Is there room for the apostle?
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing, there is a field.
Meet Rumi there.
Meet Shinran there.
Meet Judas there.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“The Bible does not describe
what Christ looks like,
his face
his frown
his smile.
We just know he was
magnetic
enigmatic
free.
Let’s stop calling
Christ a saviour
because
saviours
create
victims.
And victims are never free,
just like saviours.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“The man who denied Christ started the church.
He denied Christ three times
and then, starting the church,
a fourth.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School

“Somewhere in the
darkness
there was a being
meditating on light
Let there be light he
said
and he turned into
God.”
― Elizabeth Pyjov, Divinity School