Quotes About Wisdom

As we get older, life becomes very complicated in terms of concessions we have to make.

Life will be lengthened while growing, for Thought is the measure of life.

We spend a good part of our lives trying desperately to convince ourselves as well as everybody else that we know more than we really do.

You need not bring life to the scripture. You should draw life from the scripture.

Youth calls to age across the tired years: 'What have you found,' he cries, 'what have you sought?" 'What have you found,' age answers through his tears, 'What have you sought.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night.

Into the sea of yourself like a young dog, and bring out a pearl.

Non andartene docile in quella buona notte, Benché i saggi conoscano alla fine che la tenebra è giusta infuria, infuria, contro il morire della luce.

Older and wiser and no better

When we begin to genuinely appreciate the illusory, dreamlike nature of our waking experiences, we are starting to mix those appearances with the appearances of our nighttime dreams. We are bringing those two states closer together.

Maybe you think you can wake up 50 percent, just enough to get beyond the "crazy" stage but not all the way to "wisdom." However, it's not the message of the Buddha or the intention of Buddhism to provide a partial recovery from confusion. The message of the Buddha is that you're awake now and that you can, if you apply yourself, realize it.

We are like monkeys who dwell in the forest and shit on the very branches from which we hang.

from the Acknowledgments page] ...and while comments are very welcome, I would suggest it is a waste of your precious time.

If we know, even a little bit, that some of our familiar concepts, feelings, and objects exist only as a dream, we develop a much better sense of humour. Recognizing the humour in our situation prevents suffering. We still experience emotions, but they can no longer play tricks on us or pull the wool over our eyes.

It is not appropriate to ask a Buddhist, "What is the purpose of life?" because the question suggests that somewhere out there, perhaps in a cave or on a mountaintop, an ultimate purpose exists. The

Outwardly we should practise the shravakayana, inwardly the bodhisattvayana and secretly the vajrayana.

The sutras liken reincarnation to the relationship between teachers and students. A singing teacher teaches students how to sing. His students learn techniques and benefit from direct experiential advice from their teacher. But the teacher doesn't remove a song from his throat and insert it into a student's mouth. Similarly, reincarnation is a continuity of everything we have learnt, like lighting one candle from another, or a face and its reflection in a mirror.

The Vajrayana is the path of the rug being pulled out from under your feet, so you need someone who knows how to do that.

it looks dualistic, but it has that ability to liberate you from the bondage of dualism.

Here, in this book, I will try to show that the guru is actually like the horizon. A horizon is apparent—a line where earth and sky appear to meet. But in reality, they never meet. There is only an illusion of an ending point, a point of reference where we can stand and measure and assess. In this way, the guru is like a horizon between wisdom and method, myth and truth, science and faith. D

I am reminded of the advice of my neighbor. "Never worry about your heart 'til it stops beating."

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.

I am reminded of the advice of my neighbor. "Never worry about your heart till it stops beating."