This passage is like stated in the introduction, "Short and sweet". Within one paragraph, Pai-Chang manages to explain one of the most complicated and difficult to understand concepts. After reading this a few times I have managed to gain a slight understanding of what he is trying to explain. I think what he is saying is that the mind is perfect as is, its only our perception of it and its abilities that are clouded. Enlightenment seems like it isn't a change in what one's mind consists of but merely the clarity of seeing what it really is. Every one's mind is the same, they are all originally perfect, the difference between an ordinary person and a sage is that the sage lacks delusion and sees things clearly. It is like saying that we are equipped with all that we could ever need from the very start, it is just a matter of understanding that, that allows us to behold the Buddha nature.

Albert Einstein

Einsteins first quote approaches religion in a very interesting way. The greatest feeling he says is experience of the unknown. He continues to connect the amazing feeling of not knowing to religion, as it being the very center. If you think about it, we choose to believe in something in order to explain the unexplainable or unknown or "mystical". If we knew everything as facts, their would be no need for beliefs which means in turn, no need for religion. I really liked Albert's last quote about how all of us are caught up in only ourselves and our immediate surroundings. So many times we have our blinders on and only can see what is set directly in front of us. I think Albert must have been one to really embrace life to the fullest. He understood that there is alot more in the world besides himself and his close friends. If everyone thought like this, I think that the world would be a completely different place.

Novalis

I found the writings of Novalis very interesting. The concepts he was trying to communicate took me a little while to fully understand, and some I am still left pondering. One that i still am a little confused about is the quote that "we are alone with everything we love." I couldn't figure out if he meant that when we have everything we love, then we are truly alone, or that in life we exist only amongst the things that we love. The first quote about being close to waking up when we dream that we are dreaming caught my eye. I have been studying how to control my dreams because being narcoleptic, most of my dreams tend to be nightmares, so I have been trying to bring my aware mind into my dreams so that I can control their outcomes. I don't know if the quote means that one literally is dreaming that they are dreaming or that one is aware in their dream that it is only a dream and not really happening. This passage of quotes left me with many questions of the exact meaning of them. Perhaps they were vague purposefully so that one can interpret them how they please.

Muhammad

There are two quotes in the writings of Muhammad that i found to be very profound. "Whoever knows himself knows God." Once again this sounds very similiar to the messages of previous readings we have reviewed. God is said to be everywhere and that we are created in his image. So, in turn if we truly know who we are, we would know that we are the creation of God. Another quote I found very profound was the very last, and shortest one in the reading. "True religion is surrender." This makes so much sense to me. To be a follower of God we must set aside the worries of our days and place them in his hands. Not only that but sacrfices often are made to change ones life to be on the path of God. We have to stop putting importance in worldly things and stop trying to control our own lives. Surrenedering our life to God and trusting that he will do what's best for us is probably one of the most difficult things a believer has to do not once, not twice but constantly. I liked the whole reading but especially those two quotes stood out to me.

Abu Abdallah Al-Harith Al-Muhasibi

In this reading it is stated that "The love of God in its essence is the illumination of the heart by joy because of its nearness to the Beloved, for love, in solitude rises up triumphant, and the heart of the love is possessed by the sense of its fellowship with him, and when solitude is combined with the secret intercourse of the Beloved, the joy of that intercourse overwhelms the mind, so that it is no longer concerned with this world and what is in it." This in some ways made sense to me, and others was a little confusing for me. Only confusing in a way that there is alot being stated in just a few sentences and it all is so profound that it takes a second or third read to really understand what it says. I think that it is communicating that once you really have found God and a deep and passionate love for him, your earthly desires will soon pass. This passage seemed to want the reader to have a completely and souly God centered life. Like having everything you do in life be an act of worship. Very interesting writing.

The gospel of john

In the gospel of Thomas there is a quote that sounds very similiar to the philosophies of other religions. Jesus states that "If you know yourselves, then you will be known and you will know that you are the sons of the living father. Alot of religions seem to base alot of what is important about believing around knowing oneself and understanding who you are. I suppose it makes sense becuase if you believe that we are all sons of the living father, the better you know yourself, the stronger you will believe that. Jesus also states that if you haven't found the beginning, why ask about the end? This reminds me of the idea of living life in the present and not being caught up regretting the past or being anxious and anticipating the future. Be content in the moment you are experiencing and you will be content with your past and trust in your future.

Hung Pao

In the writings of Hung Pao I really liked the section about a person's true nature. A person's true nature can never be lost because it is the inner core of their being. There is no beginning and no end, no passions, no time, no space. I like the idea that one person cannot be happy until they stop searching for things to make them happy. Like the soldier and the pearl, we spend so much of our times trying to fit the guidelines of what is accepted. Just like us, he could look for it fever and never be satisfied, but the moment he realizes he already had the pearl he was at peace. I think that might be a similar feeling to nirvana or enlightenment. Once finding a place of enlightenment it is like the soldier realizing that you had the pearl on time. That is the simple point that is trying to send, we all are ready and unique and all that we have to do is acknowledge and realize that fact and we will in turn be forever happy.
Rebecca Sawyer

buddah

When reading over the words of Buddah most of his teachings made sense to. My favorite part of the passage was the 3 phrases at the very end. "Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth." It seems that Buddah was all about self correction and finding motivation within yourself rather answering to some one else. He believed in treating others with kindness and care. I like the way he believes that everyone is fully complete just the way they are. The difference is that not all of us have quite figured it out yet. I find the thought of that very very encouraging. the first quote seems to be focusing on the human conscience. Instead of not allowing one to experience things they won't like, he instead says to try what ever and you will defiantely find alot of what brings true happiness.
Rebecca Sawyer

Yehiel Mikhal of Zlotchov

The words of Yehiel Mikhal of Zlotchov are short but straight to the point. All of us seem to base our value and worth off of what material possesions we own and other worldly things. We then start to think that we are self sufficient and deserve all the credit for where we are in life. We forget that even life in itself is something that can be taken from us in a matter of seconds. The eye opening matter is that in a flash all that we placed our value and worth on could be taken from us, and then what? Are we worth nothing? Of course not, because we have an almighty creator who loves and takes care of us. He is far more permanent than any money we could earn or accomplishments we could acheive here on Earth. This life that we live is tiny in comparison to all eternity and the lifespan of our never failing all powerful God. So doesn't it make sense that we should invest our time and effort into something that we are sure will never fail or be taken away from us? Though God may not be something physical that we can look at and show off, the body passes with time but the spirit remains and God will renew your spirit and protect it from damage for as long as you trust in him. This passage shows us that worldly objects and relationships are not where you should place your trust, but instead you should place your trust in God who will never fail you.

Shmelke of Nikolsburg

The reading that I most enjoyed this week was the words of Shmelke of Nikolsburg. Many people can be very self riotous and think that for some reason that since they have found God and someone else hasn't, that they are suddenly a better person than them and less of a sinner. He had a very humble and compassionate way of looking towards people who are "wicked before God". It makes perfect sense to me that if you see someone is another human who was created in the same image as you, struggling with weakness, why would you condemn them instead of having some understanding a mercy upon them. I like the way he sees all people connected by the inherent relation to the ultimate soul of God. I like how explains that if you hand hits you and causes you pain, would you go and injure another part of your body to cause yourself more pain? It makes so much sense to me and encourages me to have more understanding and patience towards those who wrong me in my life. He sees all people as the body of Christ rather than just those who are saved. Many Christians see it the opposite and end up looking down on others and placing themselves up on a pedestal above all other people.

Upanishads

The Upanishads were very interesting but it was very hard to stretch my mind around what the words were trying to communicate. Alot of what is said almost contradicts itself. Not in a negative way but in a purposeful way in order to prove a point such as the quote "I do not know God, nor can i know it. If you understand the meaning of 'I neither know nor don't know,' you understand God. I believe that one message it was sending is that God is vast beyond our knowledge. That we can't begin to imagine what God is like or how he works, we just know that he is. As in the bible when God says "I am I am." My mind is still left puzzling over some of these concepts and will continue to, but once I understood one of its messages, I felt I instantly had a solid understanding of what was being communicated. These are very mind stretching but i enjoyed challenging myself to understand.

Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi seems like he would have been an amazing person to meet. Some of his thoughts were a little hard to comprhend but at the same time made so much sense. the 3rd quote about affection and compassionetc sounded very much like what jesus taugh in the bible... I found that to be very interesting. He makes religion and believeing in GOd sound so simple. I liked when he says that "Only mature minds can grasp the simple truth in all its nakedness. That made alot of sense to me. Many people get so caught up in doing what looks right or different interpretaions of little messages that they look right past the big picture. He breaks it down and doesn't bother with all the fluff but truly is focused on a relationship between you and God. I noticed very much of what he had to say had to do with knowing oneself. Almost as if the only way to achieve happiness or to believe or really to accomlish anything, a person first, has to know oneself. I think that Ramana Maharshi was extremely wise and saw everything with great clarity and perception.

chief seattle

Chief Seattle's words were very powerful and very saddening. He so humbly presents his case to the white men. It seems that no matter how much the white men disrespect him and his people, Chief Seattle would refuse the lose his respect for himself and his people. Instead of only speaking poorly of the white men and putting them down, he brings up the idea that perhaps both his people and the white men were at fault. That as men, we can grow angry and act in poor ways towards each other. I think it is sad how he speaks of God hating and being prejudice towards his people, but if i were in his position i would be thinking something very close to that. Chief Seattle's people have a greater perception of the value of a man's life and soul. The white men cover their dead and move on where as, the native Americans believe that their dead's spirits are constantly roaming around amongst us and that they never disappear. When he described his people as being the wounded faun in fear of the hunter, it really helped me to understand the way him and his people really felt towards the white men. I'm sure it really impacted his audience when he said that even after every red man has disappeared, the men will not be alone, but be constantly living besides his and his people's spirits that will forever roam the earth. The Native Americans appreciated the little things in life and had alot more respect for each person as an individual with a soul of their own. It is sad that though his people had all of the land far before the white settlers came in, he now is willing to accept the white men's offer to give them a small piece of land in which they can live. It shows that he wasn't about owning all he could or proving who was best, but instead just simply wanting to live in peace the way him and his people wanted.

sa-go-ye-wat-ha

In reading the words of sa-go-ye-wat-ha, I found that I have many similar views. I consider myself a Christian and believe in the bible. I fully agree when it was said that the red men believed that the Great Spirit was more pleased with a sincere heart than certain forms of worship. I think that religion can get so caught up with certain traditions and rituals and forget what it is to just truly believe. He had a point when he asked the white men why they didn't all agree on one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. I see now that many people call themselves Christians but have very different interpretations of what the bible is trying to communicate to us. All of what the bible says is open to interpretation and so naturally the interpretations vary amongst fellow believers. I find it sad that the Indians were just trying to be understanding and hospitable and ended up getting very taken advantage of for their kindness. The Christians seem a bit hypocritical in the way that they have taken the Indian's kindness for granted. They act as if they own and are in charge of the land when their beliefs are supposed to reinforce the fact that God is in control of everything. I have very much respect for the red men because they are still able to address the white even after great amounts of frustration and talk about an opposing issue. I think that there are a number of very good points made and I find that I have shifted my beliefs to be more open and similar to the way that the natives saw things. Nobody can be so sure that they are right and some body else is wrong for believing something different because is no proof to back them up. Overall, though the red men seem to be more laid back about their beliefs, but seem to manage to live more honorable lives than the white men.