words.amniisia.com

... we have to abandon the notion that we can compel others to love us by doing things for them. We have to recognize that we cannot manipulate life to satisfy ourselves, and that finding fault with ourselves or others is not an effective way of helping anyone. We slowly abandon our basic arrogance.

An old Zen rule of thumb is not to answer until one has been asked three times. If people really want your opinion, they'll insist on having it.

The process of atonement goes on for a lifetime. That's what human life is: endless atonement.

We have to see that everything we demand (and even get) eventually disappoints us.

... we should do what's appropriate and necessary; in a deeper sense, however, we can't help another person.

We can spend our life blaming other people, circumstances, or our bad luck and thinking about the way life should have been. We can die that way if we want. That's our privilege, but it's not much fun. We have to open up to the enormous game going on that we're part of. Our practice must be careful, meticulous, patient. We have to face everything.

... can we keep our mouths shut until the right action or the right word arises by itself? Most of the time, there's no harm in doing nothing. Most of what we do doesn't make much difference, anyway; we just think it does.

When we get up in the morning, we don't know that at two o'clock in the afternoon we're going to break a leg. We never know what's coming up; that's part of the fun of being alive.

We say we want to be one with the world, when what we really want is for the world to please us.

Former friends, former lovers, former relatives continue on in our lives and are part of who we are. It may be necessary for the visible manifestation to end, but the actual relationship never ends.