“According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. Rather, the real root of suffering is this never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension, restlessness and dissatisfaction. Due to this pursuit, the mind is never satisfied. Even when experiencing pleasure, it is not content, because it fears this feeling might soon disappear, and craves that this feeling should stay and intensify. People are liberated from suffering not when they experience this or that fleeting pleasure, but rather when they understand the impermanent nature of all their feelings, and stop craving them. This is the aim of Buddhist meditation practices. In meditation, you are supposed to closely observe your mind and body, witness the ceaseless arising and passing of all your feelings, and realise how pointless it is to pursue them. When the pursuit stops, the mind becomes very relaxed, clear and satisfied. All kinds of feelings go on arising and passing – joy, anger, boredom, lust – but once you stop craving particular feelings, you can just accept them for what they are. You live in the present moment instead of fantasising about what might have been. The resulting serenity is so profound that those who spend their lives in the frenzied pursuit of pleasant feelings can hardly imagine it. It is like a man standing for decades on the seashore, embracing certain ‘good’ waves and trying to prevent them from disintegrating, while simultaneously pushing back ‘bad’ waves to prevent them from getting near him. Day in, day out, the man stands on the beach, driving himself crazy with this fruitless exercise. Eventually, he sits down on the sand and just allows the waves to come and go as they please. How peaceful!” — Yuval Noah Harari
“All of us, whether or not we are warriors, have a cubic centimeter of chance that pops out in front of our eyes from time to time. The difference between an average man and a warrior is that the warrior is aware of this, and one of his tasks is to be alert, deliberately waiting, so that when his cubic centimeter pops out he has the necessary speed, the prowess, to pick it up.” ― Carlos Castaneda
“Conflict is natural, the unstirred milk becomes putrid. Without an enemy, Gods fire would cease. Without struggle, how could Gods compassion exist? Why do we fight our natural state. We are a way to experience ourselves. Welcome all things as part of you. Welcome the primal nobility of mankind as free to do as it wilt.”“
One must take some very simple, very deep word, which cuts at the heart of things. The Buddha did not attack caste and so on; he just said “Anata” and Hinduism crumbled at the touch. So, Mohammed said “Allahu achad” and upset the whole show. I say Thelema. Go on, therefore, preaching this and nothing else, in season and out of season. You won’t have to wait long for results. You must however be ready to explain that it does not mean surrendering to every whim, but the reverse. It involves finding out Who you are, and why you came into this world, and never swerving a hair’s breadth from that Will. It’s Ekagata plus Gnana, more or less. But simpler. – Aleister Crowley
“A man might befriend a wolf, even break a wolf, but no man could truly tame a wolf.” ― George R.R. Martin
“Don’t be afraid to live you life as a lone wolf, it is not as bad then, you will be disappointed less, your heart will be unbreakable, you will be stronger than the rest, for you know how to take pain without another, you will survive, your mental strength will be sharpened, your claws sharper, and your resistance to pain stronger.” ― Satuin Segi
Every person’s life is a journey toward himself, the attempt at a journey, the intimation of a path. No person has ever been completely himself; but each one strives to become so, some gropingly, others more lucidly, according to his abilities. Each one carries with him to the end traces of his birth, the slime and eggshells of a primordial world. Many a one never becomes a human being, but remains a frog, lizard, or ant. Many a one is a human being above and a fish below. But each one is a gamble of Nature, a hopeful attempt at forming a human being. We all come out of the same abyss; but each of us, a trial throw of the dice from the depths, strives toward his own goal. We can understand one another, but each of us can only interpret himself. — Hermann Hesse
Dark Dreams by GAR
Beach Under a Copper Sky (redux) by GAR
Wishing Well (redux) by GAR
