Religious Thought 084



That which is the source of the sun And of every power in the cosmos, beyond which There is neither going nor coming, Is the Self indeed. For this Self is supreme!
- Katha Upanishad
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Brute force, no matter how strongly applied, can never subdue the basic human desire for freedom and dignity. It is not enough, as communist systems have assumed, merely to provide people with food, shelter and clothing. Human nature needs to breathe the precious air of liberty.
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama
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Religious Thought 083



The true seeker feels no elation, Even in that exalted state Which Indra and all the gods Unhappily long for. He understands the nature of things. His heart is not smudged By right or wrong, As the sky is not smudged by smoke.
- Ashtavakra Gita 4: 2-3
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From this point on you really know. This is called the pinnacle of Zen, the sovereignty of Zen. It is also called knowledge of what is knowable; it produces all the various states of meditation, and anoints the heads of all spiritual princes. In all fields of form, sound, fragrance, flavor, feeling, and phenomena, you realize complete perfect enlightenment. Inside and outside are in complete communion, without any obstruction at all.
- Pai-chang, "The Sphere of the Enlightened"
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