Quote of The Day 1/30/13

"He who would know the secret of both worlds will find that the secret of them both is Love."

-Farid al-Din Attar

Isn't that nice?  I think it is.   Much time is spent by us humans pondering the "meaning" or "secret" of life.  Turning to science and religion and math and art; it is easy to get bogged down by details and such.  Yet, the simple undeniable truth is that love drives us forward in this life.  And humans should find comfort and solace in this fact.

Farid al-Din Attar (1145-1221) was a Persian poet and hagiographer (biographer of saints and prominent religious leaders).  His works have had a powerful and lasting influence on Sufism, which is the practice and perfection of the internal, mystical aspect of Islam.

Quote of The Day 1/28/13

"Enlightenment is for sissies.  Living ethically and morally is what really matters."

-Brad Warner

Fellow Ohio native Brad Warner is the champion of this line.  An appropriate comment from a punk rock Zen Buddhist priest, and he makes a valid point.  I would agree that living ethically and morally is what truly matters; enlightenment is more of a self absorbed journey.  Ethics and morals are the cardiovascular system of human compassion.  And without compassion we cannot teach and learn, or discover and share.  

Brad Warner (1964) is from the Akron, Ohio area; represent.  He is known for his bass guitar work in the punk rock outfit Dimentia 13, he directed Cleveland's Screaming which documents the punk scene in 1980's Cleveland and Akron areas, and he is a Soto Zen priest.  Warner runs the blog site HardcoreZen.info and can also be found on Twitter.

Quote of The Day 1/26/13

Have much and be confused.

-Tao Te Ching

Here's a nice quick one for you on this beautiful Saturday.  I hope this weekend finds you, dear reader, in great spirits.  

This passage hearkens back to a previous post a few days ago which mentions, "Toss away stuff you don't need in the end."  Said quote can be taken as sound advice while today's quote gives reason for such action.  "Have much and be confused."  Fair enough.  And I agree.  Though my practice of this featured advice could use some serious revision.  Because in reality I truly "have too much."  Too many physical objects compound the space you inhabit and can also provide unwanted distraction.  So take a moment some time, and throw some crap away.  It may do your brain some good.

The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text written somewhere between the 4th and 6th centuries B.C.  Authorship is generally credited to ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (my boy!) although this subject is still debated by some scholars. 

Quote of The Day 1/24/13

"Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom."

-Theodore Rubin

One reason I enjoy this quote so much is because it gives me cause to re-read it several times.  And the grand wisdom of the passage remains ultimately elusive to me despite my repetitious readings.  Apropos of the subject which Rubin is commenting on.  For if kindness is more important than wisdom, and recognizing this is potentially wise behavior, is it not true that one should avoid trying to become wise and consequentially become wise, that is if becoming wise is a desired result.  Then perhaps you have wasted too much time on becoming wise and forgotten to be kind and all is lost.  

Anyway.

Kindness and wisdom are part of the same train ride.  Only kindness is the track that the wisdom car rides upon.

Theodore Rubin (1923) is an American psychiatrist and author.  He is a former president of The American Institute for Psychoanalysis.

Quote of The Day 1/23/13

"Toss away stuff you don't need in the end,
Know what's important, and know who's your friend."
-Phish, "Theme from The Bottom"

Today's quote is from one of my very favorite music groups Phish.  Though Phish may not be generally heralded for their lyrical content, every now and then a little gem will pop through that resonates deeply, such as this one.  It is another simple creed, as I am wont to appreciate.  

"Toss away stuff you don't need in the end."  I admit, I struggle with this one.  I may not be a hoarder, but I lug around a lot of crap.  Crap that I certainly will not "need in the end".  Now, this portion of the passage is a little ambiguous;  what DO you really need in "the end"?  Surely our concepts of what we need and what "the end" is are constantly shifting in each individual's perception.  So my take on this is that one should merely be cognizant of what necessities are required per any immediate situation.  And, "Know what's important, and know who's your friend," is a pretty obvious little nugget of advice.  Simple but true.  Just what I like.  Though my writing may not suggest such a philosophy with its meandering over-analysis.

Phish.  Well, I would give you a little synopsis on them but I have already begun to do that with my other blog Late To The Party.  So at this point I would like to direct you to another forum for my amateur ramblings.

Late To The Party

Quote of The Day 1/22/13

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
-Maya Angelou

I find this quote to be both beautiful and cautionary.  So much so that I do not wish to comment much on it.  I would rather it just sank in and did its work as a wise statement such as this should.  I will say, however, that what this transcendent passage imparts on me is that compassion is THE most important attribute that humans possess.

Maya Angelou (b. 1928) is an American author and poet.  Angelou's first autobiographical work, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, established her internationally as a powerful and inspiring writer.  Since then, the world renowned Angelou has earned over thirty honorary doctoral degrees, dozens of awards, and has also worked as a foreign coordinator in Egypt and Ghana during times of decolonization.  In addition, Angelou was involved in the Civil Rights movement, working with both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

Quote of The Day 1/21/13

"The quieter you become, the more you can hear."

-Baba Ram Dass

Today's quote comes from the prominent spiritual teacher Baba Ram Dass.  I enjoy this quote for its succinct wisdom and undeniable truth. On a purely physical level, if one does really become more quiet, the inevitable result will be the freeing up of perceptive sensations.  Perhaps you, dear reader, have noticed the "deafening" quality of being immersed deep in the woods or somewhere far from the typical onslaught of stimuli and calamitous noises that society tends to produce.  In essence, this sensation is caused by detaching oneself from the previously mentioned everyday aural phenomena.  Thus, one metaphorically becomes more quiet and can potentially absorb something that may have otherwise slipped passed the radar of self awareness.

Baba Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert 1931) is a leading teacher of spirituality and the author of the influential book Be Here Now.  Ram Dass is well known for his association with Timothy Leary during the psychedelic movement of the 1960's as well as his extensive spirit-seeking travels in India.  Ram Dass is also a co-founder of the charitable organizations Seva Foundation and Hanuman Foundation.  He still teaches via his website ramdass.org.

As I have missed the past three days of this blog I am going to add a bonus quote today from Baba Ram Dass that gives me quite a tickle:

"I didn't have one whiff of God until I took psychedelics."

-Baba Ram Dass

I won't get into this one, so take it as you will...

Quote of The Day 1/17/13

"If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

-Dolly Parton

Love this line.  Not sure if this is a line from a song or if it was just a statement made by the famous country artist, but it rings very true with me.  Of course the rainbow is metaphorical, not to mention my penchant for interpreting in the abstract.  There are a few more quotes that impart a similar message (but I will save those for another day) and to paraphrase: nothing worth achieving is ever easy.  You must put up with the bad in order to gain the good, it is a simple fact.  The sooner one embraces this, the sooner that rainbow will be gloriously alighting your day with colorful happiness.  And dare I say, if you put up with enough rain you may even witness a.... Double Rainbow??

Dolly Parton (1946) is an iconic American country artist.  Her tender soprano voice is truly distinct and has made an immeasurable impact on the musical stylings of the past sixty years. Parton has over 3,000 (!!!) songs to her credit including the very famous I Will Always Love You (most celebrated for the Whitney Houston version), Jolene, and My Tennessee Mountain Home.  Apart from being an undeniable pillar of country music, selling an estimated 100 million albums, Parton has also had success with acting in such films as 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias, and Straight Talk.

Quote of The Day 1/15/13

What time would it be if all the clocks were stopped?

-Zen question

I don't know.  Do you?  I don't think anybody knows.  I think that is the point of this little conversation starter.  Scientists may propose that they possess the knowledge that may determine the exact moment that Earth was created, or when man came to be, or when the universe came into existence.  Particular theologists may think that Earth was created 3,000 years ago.  

Fuck em.

Fuck em both I say. 

I don't think humans have that ability.  And I don't think it matters either.  And that is the point.  It is day or night, you are working or resting.  And that is the ultimate truth of being.

But I might say it would be 6:35 where I am presently based on the time of year and judging how long it has been dark.....it's actually 6:48.

It also feels like it is time to stop rambling.

Quote of The Day 1/14/13

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away."

-Philip K. Dick

Today's quote is one for us dreamers out there.  And it is intended as more of quick slap of reality to the face.  This short passage is absolute truth, I do not know how one could deny a statement such as the featured.  If you can in fact deny this creed I would love to hear about it.  

So.  Reality.  It is what it is.  That which is certain, tangible, and undeniable.  It is important to grasp this phenomenon of reality, because when something exists in this world  that is certain, tangible, and undeniable, then we are forced to "deal with it".  If we do not, then problems and struggles will indefinitely surface.  So, for all the daydreamers like myself that live in fantasy world in county whoop-de-doo, take a moment to pinch yourself and accept reality.  Reality may seem limiting, but it is here to remind us that limits are truly unavoidable sometimes.  And too much dreaming can set you up for disappointment.  By all means, we must dream and have visions and goals and all that good stuff.  But work WITH reality, not against it, because it is definitely not going away.

Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer.  He wrote almost exclusively in the science fiction genre.  I am not going to lie, I have not read any of his material, though I have seen and heard his name dropped many a time.  If you are familiar with the films Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, or A Scanner Darkly; Dick wrote the novels which those movies are based on.  My viewing of said films is about the extent of my exposure to his actual material.  But anywho, Philip K. Dick is best known for his thematic explorations on sociology, politics, metaphysics, and theology in settings of corporate monopoly, tyrannical governments, and altered states of being.  Dick has won awards such as The Hugo Award for Best Novel for The Man In The High Castle and The John W. Campbell Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.

Quote of The Day 1/13/13

"Everything flows from your heart."

-Fa-yen

Today's quote is a simple one.  I enjoy this passage because it reminds me to get out of my head, a place where I spend too much time.  Often I will dwell on aspects of life that upset or disappoint me.  I can get stuck inside my head; replaying scenes of failure, contemplating different outcomes, fantasizing about disaster.  This is not good.  This type of thinking ultimately brings on frustration, anger, and sadness.  And these emotions do not bring upon progress or any rational solution.  I do not mean to say that anger and sadness are not natural feelings, it is inevitable that these emotions will arise throughout life.  However, I believe that emotions do "flow from your heart".  The good and the bad.  And to be cognizant of this will aide in focusing one's energy into its proper designation.

After doing some quick research, I found information on Fa-yen to be fairly limited (i.e. there is not a Wikipedia page).  However, I did discover that Fa-yen lived during the eighth century AD and was a founder of one of the Five Houses of Chan Buddhism that arose during the Tang Dynasty.  

Quote of The Day 1/10/13

"On the most exalted throne in the world, we are still seated on nothing but our arse."

-Michel de Montaigne

Today's quote is from one of the most legendary literary figures in the entirety of history.  I love this quote for not only its humor but its outright truth.  It gives cause for one to be both self aware and also humble.  For, you may be a leader of the free world, you may be a celebrated athletic champion, you may be the most beautiful and talented person who has ever walked the earth.  However, in the parlance of our times, no one's shit does not stink.  We are all human and function on a basic level very much the same.  Ultimately, what this quote imparts to me is this: believe in yourself and your abilities, but you are not an exception to the rule.  

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was a French writer, considered to be one of the most important writers of the French Renaissance, if not THE most significant contributor to the literature of said period.  He is credited with the popularization of the essay format in writing and used this style to perfect his particular brand of skepticism.  Montaigne's questioning attitude did not sit particularly well with the standards of his contemporaries.  However, that did not prevent his body of work from influencing writers of great magnitude such as Renee Descartes, Blaise Pascal, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Friedrich Nietsche.  And, quite specifically because of his skeptical take on life, Montaigne's writing remains very influential in today's literary circles.

Quote of The Day 1/9/13

Very early, I knew that the only object in life was to grow.

-Margaret Fuller

Once again I apologize for the lack of blog entries in the last two days.  I was busy snowboarding at Holiday Valley on Monday and yesterday I was swamped with demolition work for my dad.  The soreness added to exhaustion amounted to a severe lack of motivation to blog.

So.

Here we are today with a quote from Margaret Fuller.  I particularly like this passage because I do agree with her sentiment in the latter half of the quote.  The concept of life's purpose being to grow is prefaced with Fuller's somewhat pretentious distinction that it was very early that she learned this.  Regardless of her pretension, I believe that she is ultimately correct.  We are always growing in one way or another.  Physically, mentally, metaphorically.  Even when there is decay in these realms of life, that is part of the process.  I prefer to interpret the meaning of "grow" in this passage to translate more as "progress" or "advance".  And advancing is truly the only way forward.

Margaret Fuller  (1810-1850) was an American writer, journalist, critic, and women's rights champion.  In the world of journalism, Fuller is celebrated as the first full-time female book reviewer in America and her book Woman In The Nineteenth Century is projected as the first major feminist piece in the States.  So a big "HELL YEAH!"  For Margaret Fuller.  She is also heavily associated with the American transcendentalism school of thought.  Quite apropos for this blog as, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit Zen-based in my thoughts.  

So.  Here is the bonus material I have promised in repentance for missing a few of my daily quotes.  Please direct your attention to my latest blog venture; Late To The Party.

Quote of The Day 1/6/13

Lose your mind and come to your senses.

-Fritz Perls

I apologize for another Quote of The Day failure yesterday.  I was wickedly hungover and could barely function on a human level, let alone compose a short piece of writing.  Anywho, today's quote comes from Friedrich Salomon Perls, better known as Fritz Perls.  I find the quote apropos of my own condition the previous day.  I certainly did lose my mind a couple nights ago to the travails of alcohol consumption and was forced to come to my senses, quite uncomfortably, the following day.  I like this quote for its seemingly contradictory ideas.  The dichotomy between misplacing one's mind and getting in touch with your sentiment may seem like a drastic bridge to cross.  But I believe, in theory, that once the mind is "lost", one has no choice but to embrace the stimuli and environment that immediately surround you.  Disagree you may, but that is my two cents on today's quote.

Fritz Perls (1893-1970) was a German-born psychiatrist/psychotherapist of Jewish origin.  Fritz is credited with coining the term "Gestalt therapy" as well as the "Gestalt prayer".  Gestalt therapy is a speculative type of psychotherapy in which emphasis is put on personal responsibility.  It attempts to accentuate an individual's experience in the present moment, therapist-client relationship, the context of a patient's social environment, and the adjustments made to accommodate in the particular environment.  Quite in line with today's passage.

Quote of The Day 1/4/13

When I play from my mind, I get in trouble.

-Stevie Ray Vaughan

Today's quote comes from famous blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I relate very directly to this concept.  As a musician, I find that performing for an audience requires that you play from your heart.  You must play purely for the joy of playing and for the enjoyment of the listener.  There is a time and place to play from your mind, that place is the practice room.  During rehearsal time is when one should perfect technique and ability.  I confess that I have "played from my mind" on stage at times.  And thusly, I did get in "trouble".  One of my personal faults is my inability to forgive my own mistakes in the moment of performance.  I have had the issue of getting angry at myself during these performances.  The result of this anger is the dilution of the performance and my failure to ultimately provide the service I am responsible for.  Hence, "When I play from my mind, I get in trouble."

Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954-1990), the native son of Dallas, Texas and considered one of the greatest blues guitarists to have ever lived.  SRV followed closely in the style of blues legends such as Albert King, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, and of course, one of his obvious prime influences, Jimi Hendrix.  With his group, Double Trouble, which he co-founded, SRV was heavily responsible for the blues revival of the 1980's.  Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble recorded several albums throughout his career including the 1983 classic Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand The Weather, and Soul To Soul.  I am not one to say my mind gets "blown" often.  Yet, when I first saw footage of Stevie Ray Vaughan, I WAS blown away by the sheer intensity of soul that could clearly be seen oozing from within him.  Truly, SRV was a special player.  In 1990, SRV's life was tragically cut short in a helicopter accident following a show in East Troy, Wisconsin.  His powerful tone, incredible showmanship, and heart-wrenching leads will live forever.

Quote of The Day 1/3/13

The universe is made of stories, not atoms.

-Muriel Rukeyser

Today's quote is from American poet and political activist Muriel Rukeyser.  I confess that I did not know anything about Mrs. Rukeyser before researching her for this Quote of The Day, but I find that I like her a lot.  The quote itself is clearly the wisdom of a poet; the universe is obviously composed of atoms if you want to travel down the highway of strictly facts.  However, this passage gives me pause to consider that, as humans, one concept connects us uniquely and ubiquitously throughout all cultures and creeds.  Stories.  Stop to think about how many stories you have and will absorb throughout your lifetime.  Stories educate us, they entertain us, they distract us, they feed us.... The story is our means of connection to each other and the universe we inhabit.  Without stories, we do not have humanity.  Take that science.  (And I love science by the way, remember that science is learned and applied through story).

Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980) lived during the 20th century and is heralded for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and Judaism.  One of her strongest works is her book The Book of The Dead which chronicles "The Hawk's Nest incident" in which hundreds of West Virginia miners died of silicosis.  Her poem "To Be A Jew In The Twentieth Century" was used by the American Reform and Reconstructionist movements for their official prayer books.

Quote of The Day 1/2/13

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

-Leondardo da Vinci

Today's quote is a creed which I attempt to follow.  Certainly, I struggle in my attempt to keep my life simple, but if you do not grapple with life's challenges in this world, you are doing something wrong.  Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly with the featured quote, simplicity IS the ultimate sophistication.  And we must remember that there is distinction between simplicity and complexity.  I like to believe that something simple can also be complex.  For example, the consumption of water.  A simple process, a simple means of hydration, a simple type of beverage.  Right?  However, consider the distribution of said liquid throughout the systems of one's body.  The explanation of that would surely be complex (not that I even could explain it properly).  The human body is naturally complex, we need not add to it.  And I believe that is the message here.  If we let most things in life simply be as they are, they are sophisticated enough.  Consider even, one of the definitions at the root of sophistication; sophism: any false argument, a fallacy.  Perhaps if one distinctly attempts to further sophisticate matters, one is introducing a layer of fallacy?

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance era.  Da Vinci excelled in the practices of painting, sculpting, writing, architecture, music, math, science, anatomy, geology, inventing, cartography, and botany.  Truly, Da Vinci was a Renaissance man and a genius.  While his view of the world was fundamentally logical, he also produced two of the most heralded paintings in history: The Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper.

Quote of The Day 1/1/13

No object is mysterious.  The mystery is your eye.

-Elizabeth Bowen

Today's quote is from Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen.  I love this quote.  The world in which we live can certainly seem mysterious, strange, foreign.  However, the truth is that what we physically see is necessarily agiven.  The tangible phenomena that is light reflecting on the surface of objects and transferred via the aperture of the eye is simply natural.  Though how this information is interpreted by the mind is the substance that one believes they "see".  Hence, what the mind sees is given its worth by the individual.  Okay, that probably sounded very convoluted and complex and may not have provided any insight whatsoever into this brief passage.  But I still enjoy this quote regardless and believe it imparts a tiny piece of wisdom.

Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) was born in Dublin and spent much time living in England.  She and her mother moved to the neighboring country after her father fell mentally ill in 1907.  Bowen's mother subsequently passed away in 1912 and her aunts continued to raise her.  Author of many books, Bowen enjoyed writing as she describes about "life with the lid on and what happens when the lid comes off".  Her novel The Heat of The Day is considered to be one of the most exemplary descriptions of London during the bombing raids of World War II.