Two Turntables and a Microphone.

on Understanding:
First of all, do not predefine understanding, and do not make a principle of non-understanding.
-Ying-an

on self-reliance and instinct:
I believe that we can improve our relationships without involving our partners. If both partners are working, all the better. However, if just one person in a partnership makes significant changes then it is enough to alter the relationship for the better. As a matter of fact, I would go so far as to say that my goal whenaddressing my partnership is keep the focus off of *us* and keep it firmly on *me.*
-Beth Fuller

on self-delusion:
Like a mirage in the springtime, the mind is found bewildered; animals imagine water but there is no reality to it. There is here nothing but thought construction, it is like an image in the air; when they thus understand all, there is nothing to know.
-adapted from the Lankavatara Sutra, translated by D.T. Suzuki

on happiness and pain:
If we train our breathing, we can control our emotions--that is, we can cope with the happiness and pain in our lives. We should practice until we feel this; our practice is not complete until we can see this clearly.
-Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

on Gratitude, and being grateful for what we have:
That very seeing does not see Itself at all. How can something that cannot see itself See another?
-Nagarjuna

on over-focus:
For some years now, students have not been getting to the root of the aim of Zen, instead taking the verbal teachings of Buddhas and Zen masters to be the ultimate rule. That is like ignoring a hundred thousand pure clear oceans and only focusing attention on a single bubble.
-Ying-an

Happy Winter Solstice, Dear Reader.