Meditate Not to Meditate (Milarepa)

Moreover, to meditate is an illusory thought;
Not to meditate is illusory, too.
It is the same whether or not you meditate.

-- Milarepa

Nobody's World (Trungpa)

In relating with the world, there are some very tough questions. What is the world? Whose world is it? What does relating mean? The basic point is that this is nobody's world, since there is nobody as such. The energy constantly taking place does not belong to anybody but is a natural organic process.

-- Chogyam Trungpa, from True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art.

The Middle Way (Aryadeva)

Not existence and not nonexistence
Not these two conjoined nor the opposite of this
Freed from four extremes, the truly wise
Are those who keep within the middle way.

-- Aryadeva

Phenomena Unarising (Nagarjuna)

Neither from themselves,
Nor from another cause,
Not from both,
Nor yet without a cause:
Phenomena indeed of any kind are never born.

-- Nagarjuna, from the Mulamadhyamaka-karika (Foundation of the Middle Way)

Renouncing Renouncing (Chiang Wei-nung)

By renouncing attachment to a self, we become arhats. By renouncing attachment to dharmas, we become bodhisattvas. By renouncing renouncing, we become buddhas. Thus sila (renunciation) is the ultimate practice.

– Chiang Wei-nung, commenting on the Diamond Sutra

Mind Not Found (Huang-po)

Most people allow their mind to be obstructed by the world and then try to escape from the world. They don't realize that their mind obstructs the world. If they could only let their minds be empty, the world would be empty. Don't misuse the mind. If you want to be free of the world, forget the mind. When you forget the mind the world becomes empty. When the world becomes empty the mind disappears. If you don't forget the mind and only get rid of the world, you only become more confused. Thus it is said all things are only mind – But mind cannot be found! When you can't find a thing you have reached the final goal. Why run around looking for liberation?

-- Huang-po, commenting on the Diamond Sutra

True Intent (Gulin)

It is said that if a single person generates true intent and returns to the origin, then all of space in the ten directions crumbles away.

-- Gulin (14th cent. Chinese Ch'an master)

Development around us (Mel Lyman)

All form is only the evolution of mind at different stages of development. We are constantly surrounded by the opportunity to give birth to more of ourselves.

-- Mel Lyman (1938-1978?)

Neurokaotic Reprogramming 2

You have the resources you need.
If you don’t have the resources you need
You have the resources to FIND the resources you need.

Gurdjieff: Real Understanding

Among Gurdjieff's closest pupils there has been no unanimity as to how we are to understand his intentions. He made many confusing and contradictory statements that could not be attributed either to carelessness or to caprice. … He was well aware that the sense of satisfaction that overtakes our thinking apparatus when we recognize a formula that fits our mental patterns is a barrier to real understanding.

-- J.G. Bennett, from Gurdjieff: Making a New World