The road to freedom

RIC_9556-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

“Why is the road to freedom so long?"

Asked a troubled apprentice.

And the master replied,

“Because it has to go through you.”

Zen story

Love

RIC_9377-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

   Love is the extremely difficult
     realization that something other than
     oneself is real.

    Iris Murdoch

The world

RIC_9436-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The world is not comprehensible, but it is embraceable. 

 Martin Büber

Staying close

RIC_9371-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

   Since everything is sacred, staying close to what is sacred is
     a matter of presence and attention more than travel to
     some secret place. In essence, staying close is a pilgrimage
     to the heart of where we are. 

    Mark Nepo, As Far As the Heart Can See

Inspiration

RIC_6553-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Inspiration doesn’t descend like a
  lightning bolt from the gods. Inspiration
  comes instead from a steady breath, a
  solid foundation, and a commitment to
  the process.

Laraine Herring

Love

RC1_7730, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     The love of a single heart can make a world of difference. 

    I believe that we can heal Rwanda – and our world – by

    healing one hear at a time.

     Immaculée Ilibagiza, Left to Tell

Truths beyond itself

RIC_8679-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths 

beyond itself.

Anais Nin

The Path

RIC_9514-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The obstacle is the path.

Zen proverb

Presence

RIC_8532-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

As long as there is a lower class, I am in it.
  As long as there is a criminal element, I’m of it.
  As long as there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

Eugene Debs

Transformation

RIC_8943-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.

Victor E. Frankl

Practice Art

RIC_9058-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

The arts are not a way to make a living.  

They are a very human way of making

life more bearable. Practicing an art, no

matter how well or badly, is a way to

make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.

Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio.

Tell stories. …

Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country

The finest things

RC1_8170, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     The finest language is the one that is not spoken, the 

     finest action is the one that is not done and the finest

     change is the one that is not willed.

      Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

Let it be

_DSC6876, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Possessions, like happiness, are always eluding our grasp. Instead of constantly wanting to have, wouldn’t it be better simply to be to watch and let the natural environment exist in peace? A world whose true joys and riches, continually renewed and replenished, we have yet to fully appreciate?

Frédéric Back

What you remember

RIC_8672-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     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

At any given moment

RIC_0051, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

At any given moment you have the 
  power to say: This is not how the story is
  going to end.

Christine Mason Miller, Ordinary Sparkling Moments

Seeking perfection?

RIC_8354-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

     Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who

     cannot attain it in anything.

      Gustave Flaubert

Non-violence

RIC_6175-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

Just as one must learn the art of killing in the training for violence,

so one must learn the art of dying in the training for non-violence.

Mahatma Gandhi

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Enthusiasm

RIC_8964-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

   We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief
     requirements of life, when all that we need to make us
     happy is something to be enthusiastic about.

    Charles Kingsley

I believe

RIC_8834-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. 

That myth is more potent than history. 

That dreams are more powerful than facts. 

That hope always triumphs over experience. 

That laughter is the only cure for grief. 

And I believe that love is stronger than death. 

Robert Fulghum

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True reconciliation

RIC_6739-1, a photo by rchoephoto on Flickr.

True reconciliation can occur only when we honestly   acknowledge our painful, but shared, past.

Elizabeth Eckford