Quotes About Meditation

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it.

I know they're not actually talking but the books on my desk seem to whisper "Drop what you're doing! Set aside your poetry! Open us, read us! Read slowly while you're at it. Always read us - every day - before you play.

Today I think Only with scents,—scents dead leaves yield, And bracken, and wild carrot's seed, And the square mustard field... It is enough To smell, to crumble the dark earth...

Yet I think he was not wholly the loser by being unable to think. The eye untroubled by thought sees things like a mirror newly burnished; at night, for example, the musing can see nothing before him but a mist, but if he stops thinking quickly the roads, the walls, the trees become visible. (pp217)

Corpse Pose sounds like no big deal, right? Then what's so difficult about this spiritualized snooze? Forget about getting your feet behind your head. Just try lying still for ten minutes. With nothing left to do, you're finally forced to come face to face with yourself.

Prayer serves as a reminder, that you are not God

By all means use some time to be alone.

I sat alone in that stupid forest asking God to tell me what to do.

Silence is such a coin that one side of which failure has and on the other hand, holds the success; adopt it wisely

Thoughts are the constitution of life, and the mind is the parliament where these take place.

A Zendo is not a peaceful haven but a furnace room for the combustion of our egotistical delusions.

A wise man who cultivates wisdom may sometimes drown in it.

When Takuan had sentenced him to confinement, he had said, "You may read as much as you want. A famous priest of ancient times once said, 'I become immersed in the sacred scriptures and read thousands of volumes. When I come away, I find that my heart sees more than before.

I laugh at my ten-year pilgrimage— Wilted robe, tattered hat, knocking at Zen gates. In reality, the Buddha's Law is simple: Eat your rice, drink your tea, wear your clothes.

muddy water is often made clear if allowed to stand still.

At the beginning of every winter people are careful to install storm windows. These extra panes of glass protect their houses against the bitter winds. We do something very similar to protect our minds through the practice of meditation.

In themselves, most of these thoughts are not actually harmful; a few of them may even be rather elevating. The trouble is that we have very little control over them. If you ask the thoughts, they would say, "This poor fellow thinks he is thinking us, but we are thinking him.

The Buddha said, "When you are walking, walk. When you are sitting, sit. Don't wobble.

A mind that is fast is sick. A mind that is slow is sound. A mind that is still is divine.

The effect of the mantram is cumulative: constant repetition, constant practice, is required for the mantram to take root in our consciousness and gradually transform it, just as constant repetition makes the advertiser's jingle stick in our minds.

The goal of meditation is awareness, not relaxation.

Undivided singleness of mind" is what the Gita means by yoga. It is the complete opposite of the incessant civil warfare among intellect, senses, emotions, and instincts which is our usual state of mind. Yoga is the complete reintegration of all these fragments on every level of the personality. It is the process of becoming whole.

To get angry with oneself and reject oneself is not helpful and is not what the Buddha teaches. The best thing is not to say either "I'm all good" or "I'm worthless; I'm no good." The best thing is not to think about oneself, not talk about oneself, not dwell upon