Care for the life of another, even material, bodily care, is spiritual in essence
Bread for myself is a material question;
bread for my neighbour is a spiritual question
N.A. Berdyaev, 1874–1948, Russian Christian philosopher and writer on on freedom, human dignity, and the dangers of oppressive systems, The Fate of Man in the Modern World
There is no less holiness at this time – as you are reading this – than there was the day the Red Sea parted or that day in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as Ezekiel was a captive by the River Chabar, when the heavens opened and he saw visions of God.
There is not less enlightenment under the tree by your street than there was under the Buddha’s bo tree…
“Each and every day the Divine voice issues from Sinai” says the Talmud. Of eternal fulfillment Tillich said, “If it is not seen in the present, it cannot be seen at all”
Annie Dilliard, For the Time Being
To refuse the dark side of one’s nature is to store up or accumulate the darkness; this is later expressed as a black mood, psychosomatic illness, or unconsciously inspired accidents.
We are presently dealing with the accumulation of a whole society that has worshiped its light side and refused the dark,
and this residue appears as war, economic chaos, strikes, racial intolerance.
The front page of any newspaper hurls the collective shadow at us.
We must be whole whether we like it or not; the only choice is whether we will incorporate the shadow consciously and with some dignity or do it through some neurotic behaviour.
Robert A. Johnson, Owning Your Own Shadow
When you set off on a path, the first thing you do is surrender yourself to a greater power, for you will encounter things you will not understand. You will understand things only with your heart, and that can be a little frightening. For a long time, the journey will seem like a Dark Night, but then any search is an act of faith.
But God, who is far harder to understand than a Dark Night, appreciates our act of faith and takes our hand and guides us through the Mystery.
Paulo Coelho, Brida
Imagine you’re at a movie, and the person sitting in front of you is so huge and fat you can’t see the screen because he’s completely blocking your view. He’s also talking loudly, so you can’t hear the movie.
That person is you.
You can’t see the perfection of your life, as it is right now, because you’re in your own way.
Dogo Barry Graham sensei
It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a world at your fingertips outside you.
It is an immense privilege, and it is incredible that humans manage to forget the miracle of being here. Rilke said, ‘Being here is so much,’ and it is uncanny how social reality can deaden and numb us so that the mystical wonder of our lives goes totally unnoticed.
We are here. We are wildly and dangerously free.
John O’ Donohue, The Inner Landscape of Beauty,
Mindfulbalance 