“Our mind is the foundation of all our actions, whether they are actions of body, speech, or mind, i.e., thinking. Whatever we think, say, or do arises from our mind. What our consciousness consumes becomes the substance of our life, so we have to be very careful which nutriments we ingest.” ThinkingMindBodyMotivationalActionConsciousnessOur LivesSpeechFoundationCarefulAriseSubstanceOur Actions Author:Nhat Hanh
“The oppressive weight of disaster and tragedy in our lives does not arise from a high percentage of evil among the summed total of all acts, but from the extraordinary power of exceedingly rare incidents of depravity to inflict catastrophic damage, especially in our technological age when airplanes can become powerful bombs. (An even more evil man, armed only with a longbow, could not have wreaked such havoc at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.)” MenDoeAgeEvilPowerfulOur LivesBattleWeightTragedyExtraordinaryDisasterAriseDamageBombsAirplaneTechnologicalPercentagesIncidentsDepravityHavocEvil Man Author:Stephen Jay Gould
“The first undeniable reality is that every living thing dies, and the second undeniable reality is that we suffer throughout our lives because we don't understand death. The truth derived from these two points is the importance of clarifying the matter of birth and death. The third undeniable reality is that all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in my head simply arise haphazardly, by chance. And the conclusion we can derive from that is not to hold on to all that comes up in our head. That is what we are doing when we sit zazen.” FirstsTwoMatterFeelingsRealityTruthDeathSufferingDiesChanceOur LivesBirthThirdsImportanceCome UpAriseConclusionLiving ThingsThoughts And FeelingsBirth And DeathClarifying Book:Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice Source: Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice
“So long as we think of it objectively, time is Fate or Chance, the factor in our lives for which we are not responsible, and about which we can do nothing; but when we begin to think of it subjectively, we feel responsible for our time, and the notion of punctuality arises.” ThinkingFeelsLongCan DoChanceOur LivesFateResponsibleNotionAriseFactorsOur TimePunctuality Author:W. H. Auden
“A work of (whatever) art can be either 'received' or 'used'. ...'Using' is inferior to 'reception' because art, if used rather than received, merely facilitates, brightens, relieves or palliates our life, and does not add to it ... When the art in question is literature a complication arises, for to 'receive' significant words is always, in one sense, to 'use' them, to go through and beyond them to an imagined something which is not itself verbal.” IfsDoeArtUseUsedPoetryLiteratureOur LivesAddSignificantAriseInferiorsComplicationFacilitateReception Author:C. S. Lewis
“Who am I?” “What is the purpose of my life?” These questions arise spontaneously throughout our lives, either unbidden or through conscious intent. Anyone who wishes to live an authentic life must answer these questions, regardless of whether they believe in the existence of the soul or practice a religion. If these queries remain unanswered, life will more than likely remain superficial and empty, in spite of any material abundance. If you wish to make the soul's journey, then I suggest you ask yourself these questions relentlessly and ruthlessly, and listen carefully.” IfsBelieveSoulPurposeAsksWishAnswersExistencePracticeOur LivesJourneyMaterialsConsciousEmptyAriseAbundanceSpiteSuperficialUnansweredAuthentic LifeQueries Author:Ilchi Lee
“Repentance is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and earnest fear of Him; and it consists in the mortification of the flesh and the renewing of the Spirit.” SpiritOur LivesPureFleshAriseRepentanceEarnestMortification Author:John Calvin