Aphorisms

Welcome to the Aphorisms Section  

This photograph of an ancient sculpture of the Buddha’s likeness symbolizes the timelessness of his teachings.  But he was not the only sage who transformed civilization with timeless messages.  There was also Jesus, and Lao Tzu; and even Einstein can be viewed as a philosophical sage.  He even had mystical experiences, and Einstein did believe in a “subtle spirit.”

Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
a flash of lightning in a summer cloud;
a flickering lamp; a phantom and a dream.

                                                        — Buddhist Sutra

There is something mysterious,
Without beginning, without end,
That existed before the heavens and earth.
Unmoving; infinite; standing alone; never changing.
It is everywhere and it is inexhaustible.
It is the mother of all.

Something formless yet complete,
Existing before heaven and earth.
Silent and limitless,
It stands alone and does not change.
Reaching everywhere, it does not tire.
Perhaps it is the Mother of all things under heaven.
I do not know its name
So I call it “Tao.”

It is like a deep dark pool.
I do not know its source.
It is like a prelude to nature,
A preface to God.
                              — Lao Tzu

Few cross over the river.
Most are stranded on this side.
On the riverbank they run up and down.
But the wise person, following the way,
Crosses over, beyond the reach of death.
Free from desire, free from possessions,
Free from attachment and appetite,
Following the seven lights of awakening,
And rejoicing greatly in his freedom,
In this world the wise person
Becomes himself a light, pure, shining, free.

To the Divine Ones of the Tri-Kaya, who are the body of the Supreme Mind, we thank you.

This guide covers the “Doctrine of Self-Liberation by Meditation on the Peaceful and Frightening Aspects of God.” It describes the opening of the mind, seeing reality, and enlightenment. It is a method for experiencing your own mind.

Oh seeker of God, think very deeply about these things! Silence! Silence! Silence! All blessings be upon you.

All praise the Supreme Mind that holds both Heaven and Hell,
Forever eternal, and yet unknown,
Clear and present, yet invisible,
Bright and direct, yet unrecognized.

. . . .

                                                                —  Padma-Sambhava

Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man.

To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties – this knowledge, this feeling … that is the core of the true religious sentiment.

In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men.

(1) Those instrumental goods which should serve to maintain the life and health of all human beings should be produced by the least possible labor of all.

(2) The satisfaction of physical needs is indeed the indispensable precondition of a satisfactory existence, but in itself is not enough.

In order to be content, men must also have the possibility of developing their intellectual and artistic powers to whatever extent accord with their personal characteristics and abilities.

                                                                                            — Einstein

Yet, there are other questions of even greater importance.  These include the most paramount of all questions; namely, whether or not life is ultimately a meaningless journey into eternal oblivion.  Less important, but nevertheless significant, is the question of whether an intelligent entity was responsible for bringing the universe into creation.

The Source Substance

Forever and forever, beyond all limits of space and time, the “Primordial Essence,” the “Eternal Light,” bathes an infinite number of sentient beings with its self-born brilliance and yet is rarely seen and can never truly be known.It is the “Unpredicable Primordial Essence” of essences; it is the be-all and end-all of all religious pilgrimages; it is the “Light” that one sees at the time of death; it is the “Eternal Source Substance”; it is the “Thatness”; it is God.

Seek it and you will find it.  Fail to seek and it will not be found.  Ironically, if found, you will recognize that this Eternal Light has always been before you.

                                                                              — Robert Koontz

 — I Corinthians 13