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Quote by Milan Kundera

“Spontaneously, without any theological training, I, a child, grasped the incompatibility of God and shit and thus came to question the basic thesis of Christian anthropology, namely that man was created in God's image. Either/or: either man was created in God's image - and has intestines! - or God lacks intestines and man is not like him. The ancient Gnostics felt as I did at the age of five. In the second century, the Great Gnostic master Valentinus resolved the damnable dilemma by claiming that Jesus "ate and drank, but did not defecate." Shit is a more onerous theological problem than is evil. Since God gave man freedom, we can, if need be, accept the idea that He is not responsible for man's crimes. The responsibility for shit, however, rests entirely with Him, the creator of man.”

Book:The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Work

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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Author

Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera is a renowned Czech-French writer known for his profound psychological insights and unique narrative techniques. His works often explore themes of personal freedom, love, morality, and existentialism, with notable titles including 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' and 'The Joke'. more

“Zen funeral rites typify both the promise of universal salvation characteristic of Japanese Buddhism and the dominance of funeral services in the activities of Japanese Buddhist temples. In fact, Japanese Buddhist funerals—the single most important Buddhist ritual still observed by the vast majority of Japanese—largely derives from rites that were introduced and popularized first by Zen monks.”

Zen Funeral Rites Japanese Buddhism

Book:Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan

Source: Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan

“Prior to the beginning of the Shōwa period (1926–1989), few people visited the rock garden at Ryōanji, and within Japan itself, aside from a few professionals, there were not very many people who said it was particularly beautiful. Moreover, praise from foreigners did not come to be dominant until after the Zen boom in Europe and the United States started in the 1950s. As a Japanese, it is somewhat gratifying to know that Japan has a garden that foreigners praise and travel all the way across the ocean to visit. But this, again, is just a magic mirror that reflects a beautiful image of me.”

Zen Ryoanji

Book:Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West

Source: Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West

“Student: Master, waiting for the future is so boring! Can't we bring the future to the present? Master: Yes, there is a way to bring the future to the present, for example, if you take a knife and kill yourself, you can bring your future death to the present, that is, you bring your entire future to the present!”

Future Mehmet Murat Ildan Quotes Zen Future Quotes Future Quotations Zen Stories Zen Story

Author:Mehmet Murat Ildan

“A person who practices Zen meditation does not have to rely on beliefs in hell, nirvana, rebirth, or causality; they have only to rely on the reality of their body, their psychology, biology, and their own past experiences or the instructions of Zen masters who have preceded them.”