–When you wake up in the morning you realize that you were not just a character in the dream, but the dream itself. There is another awakening that happens when you commit yourself to discovering the truth, when you abandon all allegiance to any preexisting ideology or belief system. When you stand bare before the mirror of introspection. You realize that the dream never ended and that you aren’t just a character in it, but the dream itself.
–Our identities are simply a collection of beliefs and memories. Our thoughts, moods, actions and interactions are all pulled into alignment by our beliefs about who and what we are. Memories serve to justify our beliefs and we willingly pay a hefty retainer for their advocacy. This sordid game helps us sculpt a sense of self. It helps us find consistency in the face of an array of potential selves. We suffer for this consistency, for this sedentary loyalty, for this illusion of identity. We all want to change. We all want to become wiser, more compassionate, and more capable. How can we make these changes and retain our sense of self? We cannot have it both ways, because there is only one way. We must let go of everything we believe, because the change is already happening. Open your eyes.
–This world we live in is a place of unspeakable beauty. The harmony and chaos, the serenity and violence, the opposites which give rise to creation, are all perfectly placed brushstrokes on the canvas of consciousness. Stand in relation to experience as one stands before a great work of art. A permanent state of wonder and amazement is the only necessary response to it all. This is the true character of absurdity; inarticulable wonder, infinite appreciation, and incalculable ignorance. It is the greatest gift we could have given to ourselves, and our debt of gratitude only contributes to our awareness of the power of powerlessness. It is in the moments of our most intensely felt weakness that we pay homage to the true depth of our strength. This is what gives rise to all art, to all creation, to all innovation. Pay attention. Pay attention. Pay attention.