#buddhism

There is a yearning that is as spiritual as it is sensual. Even when it degenerates into addiction, there is something salvageable from the original impulse that can only be described as sacred. Something in the person (dare we call it a soul?) wants to be free, and it seeks its freedom any way it can. ... There is a drive for transcendence that is implicit in even the most sensual of desires. ↗

— Mark Epstein

#buddhism #desire #freedom #suffering #transcendence

People sometimes imagine that without desire there would be no enjoyment. The opposite is true. When you're caught up in craving, you never really enjoy anything very much because your mind is always pulling you on to the next desire and the next after that. When you let go of desire, then you're free to enjoy whatever is right in front of you. ↗

— Lorne Ladner

#psychology #wisdom #art

Support the type of thinking that leads you to feeling good, peaceful & happy. ↗

— Allan Lokos

#inspirational #inspirational

No one should ever despair because the entrance to his or her chosen career path is clogged. There is an ancient saying: "The persistent drip wears through stone. ↗

— Kentetsu Takamori

#inspiration #self-help #inspirational

We train the mind so that we can enjoy greater peace, happiness, wisdom & equanimity. ↗

— Allan Lokos

#inspiration #inspirational #peace #psychology #spirituality

If you are fortunate enough to enjoy great success, you should never forget the spirit of the beginner, and not grow indolent and arrogant. ↗

— Kentetsu Takamori

#inspirational #religious #self-help #inspirational

What each of us believes in is up to us, but life is impossible without believing in something. ↗

— Kentetsu Takamori

#buddhism #japan #religion #spirituality #life

Real devotion is an unbroken receptivity to the truth. Real devotion is rooted in an awed and reverent gratitude, but one that is lucid, grounded, and intelligent. ↗

— Sogyal Rinpoche

#intelligence

The teaching of the sexual tantras all come down to one point. Although desire, of whatever shape or form, seeks completion, there is another kind of union than the one we imagine. In this union, achieved when the egocentric model of dualistic thinking is no longer dominant, we are not united with it, nor am I united with you, but we all just are. The movement from object to subject, as described in both Eastern meditation and modern psychotherapy, is training for this union, but its perception usually comes as a surprise, even when this shift is well under way. It is a kind of grace. The emphasis on sexual relations in the tantric teachings make it clear that the ecstatic surprise of orgasm is the best approximation of this grace. ↗

— Mark Epstein

#desire #dualistic-thinking #grace #meditation #objectification

People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist. ↗

— Daisaku Ikeda

#humanism #life