So I was listening to a couple dharma podcasts and some Alan Watts podcasts. And so I’m sitting in lab, microtoming (slicing) mice brains as I’m listening to these podcasts (Microtoming is a tedious, somewhat mindless job, ugh). And I have on my purple latex-free nitrile lab gloves, and there’s a permanent marker next to me, so whenever I heard a jewel of a quote or idea that spoke to me, I wrote them all over my gloves.

So now I have three gloves full of quotes that I’d like to share with y’all:

 Let go of our preferences

Obstructing thorns are everywhere—you’re given plenty of chances for irritation

Buddhism is the middle way, but middle way does not mean the same as moderation. Rather, middle way means the bringing together of opposites.

Something about being insecure at last—I think it has something to do with letting go of the Ego, the I, and recognizing that the self is not an independent entity, but rather, a dependent element, dependent on the environment it interacts with, etc. Therefore, you are not your ego, or something like that.

 We get rescued by giving what we need the most.

To express ourselves we must first feel ourselves deeply. This is perhaps what we’re waiting for.

 Stop desiring to stop suffering. Because then that’s a desire. And desires can cause suffering, or so is how I understood it all.

 Civilization is an elaborate engaging mechanism for avoiding basic truths. Meaning, we turn away, for example, when we see someone cry, or we use/say trite things, and so, the polite things we do in society are the things that allow us to turn away from emotions, form grief, from pain, etc. Or that’s how I understood it.

Craving creates suffering.

 

 Any of these speak to anyone? Which ones? How so?

Or anyone have any deep, meaningful thoughts about these quotes? Any insight? I’d love to hear some!