both

quiet

&

intense

Softness dissolves boundaries

In cogitation the thought or attention flits aimlessly about the subject. In meditation it circles round it, that is, it views it systematically, from all sides, gaining perspective. In contemplation it radiates from a centre, that is, as light from the sun it reaches out in an infinite number of ways to things that are related to or dependent on it.

—Ezra Pound, 1909, recalling in his own words ideas from Richard of St. Victor

When I really see the Other
then I see the world
through their
eyes

Yin & Yang are one vital force – the primordial aura.

—Wang Yangming

Forgiveness frees me from the past whilst grace allows me into the future.

The present is where forgiveness & grace ideally become one.

The Master is free of four things: He doesn’t have preconceived ideas or foregone conclusions, he isn’t overly certain of himself, he isn’t unyielding, and he isn’t self-centered.

—Kǒngzǐ

Abnegating to the point of erasure

If you're not uncomfortable on a daily basis, you're not making much progress.

—Robin Sharma

If you're in the habit of pleasing yourself, you'll learn nothing.

The good student understands that the teaching's disclosure depends far more on their preparation & receptivity than the teacher's willingness to teach.

Cheng Man-ch'ing's Form is beautiful but if you model your own on that you'll never learn spirit.

Nobility: the ability to selflessly regard the bigger picture.

Everyone wants to be special, and some are, but never the way they think they are.

—John R Kells

Alexander Technique has a practice called Inhibition – pausing before you act – having the presence of mind to catch yourself just before an automatic action and pausing to see if it really is necessary, and if it is, can it be done better – more relaxed, more efficient, more balanced. An example would be reaching for a cigarette. Is it really necessary to hasten your death? Or taking the next breath: catch yourself, pause and then take in that breath deliberately – relaxed, gentle, full – breathing in not only air but also light, warmth and God's love.

gnōthi seauton   γνῶθι σεαυτόν   know thyself

Beware a teacher that tells you what you want to hear

I'm not spiritual, I'm religious – totally bound to the path. I don't chose to practise, I practise because spirit won't allow me not to practise. The only person who understood this was my teacher.

I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately.

—Henry David Thoreau

The
next
stage
is
always
the
most
difficult

Live
subversively
:
dedicated
to
spirit

Apparently the English word religion has three possible etymological roots, all Latin:

1. Relegere "to go through again" – repetition – practice;
2. Religare "to bind fast" – duty-bound to practise;
3. Religiens "careful" (opposite of negligens).

For the artist the work is always infinite, unfinished.

—Maurice Blanchot

A poetry
uncluttered by
meaning

Stilling the mind we call liberating mind from the mind. Before we can tackle this we must liberate the mind from ignorance & stupidity, which means getting an education: acquiring knowledge, but more importantly, the ability to think clearly, rationally & critically. Having acquired these skills it takes an unusually deep soul to consider turning this tool against itself rather than merely using it to live a more comfortable, pleasurable & desirable life.

一日不做一日不食

One day not work, one day not eat

—Baizhang Huaihai

A touch
that opens up
the abyss