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Stephen Batchelor

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Famous Stephen Batchelor Quotes

“We took a bus to the nearby monastery of one of the last great Tang dynasty Chan masters, Yun-men. Yun-men was known for his pithy 'one word' Zen. When asked 'What is the highest teaching of the Buddha?' he replied: 'An appropriate statement.' On another occasion, he answered: 'Cake.' I admired his directness.”

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Book:Confession of a Buddhist Atheist
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“How extraordinary it is to be here at all. Awareness of death can jolt us awake to the sensuality of existence. Breath is no longer a routine inhalation of air but a quivering intake of life. The eye is quickened to the play of light and shade and color, the ear to the intricate medley of sound. This is where the meditation leads. Stay with it; rest with it. Notice how distraction is a flight from this, an escape from awe to worry and plans.”

PlayLightEyeSoundExistenceWorryMeditationPlansAirAwarenessColorEarsBreathsExtraordinaryFlightSensualityAwakeAweRoutineShadeDistractionIntricateMedleyAwareness Of Death
Author:Stephen Batchelor
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“The denial of "self" challenges only the notion of a static self independent of body and mind-not the ordinary sense of ourself as a person distinct from everyone else. The notion of a static self is the primary obstruction to the realization of our unique potential as an individual being. By dissolving this fiction through a centered vision of the transiency, ambiguity, and contingency of experience, we are freed to create ourself anew.”

MindPersonsSelfBodyIndividualChallengesFictionVisionPracticeUniqueOrdinaryIndependentNotionRealizationPrimariesDenialMind And BodyAmbiguityStaticObstructionContingencyDissolving
Author:Stephen Batchelor
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“The art of dharma practice requires commitment, technical accomplishment, and imagination. As with all arts, we will fail to realize its full potential if any of these three are lacking. The raw material of dharma practice is ourself and our world, which are to be understood and transformed according to the vision and values of the dharma itself. This is not a process of self- or world- transcendence, but one of self- and world- creation.”

IfsWorldArtSelfValuesThreeProcessRealizingImaginationVisionPracticeFailingCreationMaterialsUnderstoodCommitmentAccomplishmentOur WorldTransformedLackingTranscendenceDharmaRaw MaterialsFull Potential
Author:Stephen Batchelor
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