🥋Week 2026-36: Kazumi Tabata - Collected Quotes

"Achieving a state devoid of doubt is the essence of martial arts." (Kazumi Tabata, "Secret Tactics: Lessons From the Great Masters of Martial Arts", 2003)

"Train not by thought, but by practice. Learn a wide variety of arts and skills, and do not fix on only one. Know not only your own techniques but also those of many others. Find out rationally what is an advantage and what is a disadvantage. Foster an intuitive ability to judge all things. Feel an essence that you cannot see on the surface. Pay attention to the very smallest of phenomena. (Everything takes its own course, and sometimes we get unexpected results.) Do nothing in vain, for the energy and time we have is limited." (Kazumi Tabata, "Secret Tactics: Lessons From the Great Masters of Martial Arts", 2003)

"When you have had the experience of defeating one or two opponents, you will come to understand what constitutes good and bad in the martial arts. Gradually, with practice and experience in handling opponents [...] you will become able to discern the psychology of your opponents through fighting a variety of different people." (Kazumi Tabata, "Secret Tactics: Lessons From the Great Masters of Martial Arts", 2003)

"A path will be revealed only when you read a sutra with a warm heart and put its teachings into practice. Otherwise, a sutra has no value in life. It is no exaggeration to say that it will take more than a lifetime for a reader to carry out every recommendation in a book." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Fill yourself with a flow of energy (ki). Set off your waza with momentum and overwhelm the opponent. There is only a single chance to beat him. Any initiative waza should come from you decisively. Use all your energy when you move offensively and defensively. When not moving offensively or defensively, conserve your energy." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"In terms of the martial arts, there are two training methods: one focuses on the rational aspect of training while the other emphasizes the technical aspect. The martial arts owe its origin to people’s attempts to rationally unify the mind, body, and skill. In the martial arts, truth will reveal itself once your mind gains insight into the empty nature of the world and your body masters and perfects physical techniques." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Mental disease is to stick to a certain idea. Mental disease is to freeze on certain things or victory. The mind can work freely, if one has enough room to be able to hear the sound of wind and water. One can control one’s mind by releasing it. When one removes the source of thoughts, one’s mind starts to be free from all thoughts. Master the road of experts who remove thoughts by gaining other thoughts." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Mind and technique correspond to each other. When one’s body is active, the mind is at peace. When one’s body is at peace, the mind is active. Keeping physical and spiritual balance is fundamental in a fight." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Narrow mindedness prevents one from seeing the truth. Your mind must be wide open. Observing reality from one’s standpoint will only reveal half the truth because one’s ego obstructs the view. The self must be discarded to be able to see the true nature of reality. Discarding the self requires skill." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Nature is dominated by yin and yang. There are positive and negative forces, and good and evil on this planet. Great achievements are always followed by failures of the similar magnitude. Do not let your guard down in times of happiness. Life requires mental strength that enables one to cope calmly with unfortunately events. Always be prepared for something bad to happen." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"One can become a master through experience and by practicing and learning tactics." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"One who is learning should be passionate and serious. One must build upon the skills one has learned in practice. One must acquire continuous courage to master dori (the way of things)." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"People control themselves with virtue. One must practice virtue to alleviate spiritual strains and remember peace of mind to appreciate the generosity of the gods." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Satori is achieved when one’s mind connects to the mind of the universe. When one’s mind connects to the mind of the universe, one comes to be able to understand reason of nature without being taught. When one’s mind connects to the mind of the universe, one comes to bear supernatural power. Buddha described the supernatural world as ku (knowing the void)." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The aim of meditation lies in introspection. Meditation without self-examination is useless because distortion of the mind is not corrected. As a result, you may easily succumb to temptation or your mind may not function properly. Your preoccupation with attachment makes you vulnerable to temptation. Consequently, attachment grows even stronger, preventing you from engaging in introspection." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The martial arts offer a path you can follow to unravel the mysteries of life and the soul. The ultimate goal is to reach a state of ku and mu. The purpose of the martial arts as well as religion is to connect the divine will (God) and the mind (human being)." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The meaning of tanren (discipline, training) lies in the effort to burn out the energy of one’s mind and body with burning flames. Tanren requires mental integration and concentration that lead to the deep root." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The most sophisticated defense prevents the opponent’s offense beforehand and doesn’t let him touch you. It is a very positive way of handling the fight. You are always ready to attack back." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"There are essentially two paths to enlightenment. One path is art and the other path is religion. The two paths are closely interrelated." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"There is a close connection between breathing and mind. When breathing is disturbed, one’s mind is disturbed. When mind is disturbed, one’s breathing is disturbed." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe."Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"To pursue enlightenment is to search for immeasurable truth, to acquire the ability manipulate life at will, to investigate phenomena that originate in our mind, and to undergo training to recall what our ancestors and predecessors had learned. The aim of the martial arts is not only to unveil the true nature and the laws of the universe through mental and physical exercises, but also to attain eternal tranquility. Enlightenment is achieved when the mind and body are guided to a higher dimension. An enlightened person holds no attachment to his skill or mind, let alone other worldly matters. This means that such a person knows how to practice the middle path." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"When the harmony of the universe and the harmony of the mind connect, one demonstrates superhuman power. When the power and technique are in harmony, they are on the wave of senses." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Zen Buddhism emphasizes the concept of Mu, which symbolizes enlightenment. Mu is absolute nothingness that transcends the conflict between existence and non-existence. This notion defies comparisons with other concepts. Mu is existence itself. In Zen Buddhism, becoming mu means to grasp the ultimate nature of reality, which allows you to achieve enlightenment. Mu does not signify a blank state of mind; rather, mu represents detachment from the five organs of the body after understanding their functions. The concept of ku, on the other hand, may evoke the image of a void." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

🅳Week 2025-49: On Defense

"Every strategic line of defense should always possess a tactical point upon which to rally for defense should the enemy cross the strategic front. (Antoine-Henri Jomini, "The Art of War", 1838)

"Strategy, or the art of properly directing masses upon the theater of war, either for defense or for invasion. […] Strategy is the art of making war upon the map, and comprehends the whole theater of operations. Grand Tactics is the art of posting troops upon the battle-field according to the accidents of the ground, of bringing them into action, and the art of fighting upon the ground, in contradistinction to planning upon a map. Its operations may extend over a field of ten or twelve miles in extent. Logistics comprises the means and arrangements which work out the plans of strategy and tactics. Strategy decides where to act; logistics brings the troops to this point; grand tactics decides the manner of execution and the employment of the troops." (Antoine-Henri Jomini, "The Art of War", 1838)

"Fill yourself with a flow of energy (ki). Set off your waza with momentum and overwhelm the opponent. There is only a single chance to beat him. Any initiative waza should come from you decisively. Use all your energy when you move offensively and defensively. When not moving offensively or defensively, conserve your energy." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The most sophisticated defense prevents the opponent’s offense beforehand and doesn’t let him touch you. It is a very positive way of handling the fight. You are always ready to attack back." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe."Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"The Judo pupil, therefore, must cultivate his mind; he must never feel fear, never lose his temper, never be off his guard; but he must be cool and calm, though not absent-minded; he must act as quick as thought, according to circumstances. He must also be dexterous as well as bold both in attack and in defense." (Yokoyama Sakujiro)

"Judo is the way to the most effective use of both physical and spiritual strength. By training you in attacks and defenses it refines your body and your soul and helps you make the spiritual essence of Judo a part of your very being. In this way you are able to perfect yourself and contribute something of value to the world. This is the final goal of Judo discipline." (Jigoro Kano)

"Karate is a defensive art from beginning to end" (Gichin Funakoshi)

🅼Week 2025-35: On Mind (Spiritual Texts)

"A mental image that the mind creates when processing only words is verbal delusion." (Patanjali, "Yoga Sutra", cca. 5th c. BC)

"Here is, in truth, the whole secret of Yoga, the science of the soul. The active turnings, the strident vibrations, of selfishness, lust and hate are to be stilled by meditation, by letting heart and mind dwell in spiritual life, by lifting up the heart to the strong, silent life above, which rests in the stillness of eternal love, and needs no harsh vibration to convince it of true being." (Patañjali,"Yoga Sutra", cca. 5th c. BC)

"Yoga occurs when the machinations, vacillations, perturbations, whirlings, spinning, and agitations (vrtti) of the mind-field (citta) dissolve, cease, and become still (nirodha)" (Patañjali,"Yoga Sutra", cca. 5th c. BC)

"When meditation is mastered, 
the mind is unwavering,  
like the flame of a lamp in a windless place." (Bhagavad Gita, cca. 2nd c. BC) 

"[…] just let your mind be like space, without clinging to a mental image of space, functioning responsively without obstruction, unminding in action and repose." ("The Sutra of Hui-neng", cca. 8th c. )

"Oh! Son of Sari! Forms of object as perceived by our mind is no different from emptiness, (and) emptiness is no different from form. Forms perceived are virtual. Virtuality is the reality of forms perceived. Such are the processing of the stimulus of perception, the mental image of the object perceived, the mental activities of analysing this object of perception and the forming of mental conception of this object." ("Heart Sutra", cca. 7th c.) [Akishi’s translation]

"The mind when sullied, / cannot be purified / in the tirthas where man bathes himself," (Yoga Darshana Upanishad)

"If while speaking of the samadhi of oneness, you fail to practice straightforward mind, you will not be disciples of Buddha. Only practicing straightforward mind, and in all things having no attachments whatsoever, is called the samadhi of oneness. The deluded person clings to the characteristics of things, adheres to the samadhi of oneness, and thinks that straightforward mind is sitting without moving and casting aside delusions without letting things arise in the mind. This they consider to be the samadhi of oneness."

This kind of practice is the same as being insentient like a rock and is the cause of obstruction to the Tao. Tao must be something that circulates freely; why should we impede it? If the mind does not abide in things, the Tao circulates freely; if the mind abides in things, it becomes entangled." (Hui-Neng, "Platform Scripture") 

"The Purusha is Divine, formless, existing inside and outside, unborn, free from Prana and mind, pure, and greater than the great unmanifest." (Swami Krishnananda, on the "Mundaka Upanishad") 

🅽Week 2024-20: On No-mind

"Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe."Through training, one reaches the state of mindlessness. Only then, will one be able to discard the thoughts of anxiety, the opponent’s technique and defenses. Being in the state of mindlessness means to entrust one’s mind and body to the universe." (Kazumi Tabata, "Mind Power: Secret Strategies for the Martial Arts", 2010)

"You can come out of the repetitive thought patterns by witnessing the thinker inside you. Witnessing will give you the state of 'no-mind' - the state of deep inner connectedness. Gradually, you move into the state of pure being - the state of pure consciousness." (Amit Ray, "Enlightenment Step by Step", 2016)

"As you go more deeply into this realm of no-mind, this sense of your own presence, you realize the state of pure consciousness. In that state, you feel your own presence with such intensity and such joy that all thinking, all emotions, your physical body and the whole external world become relatively insignificant in comparison to it. A new dimension of consciousness has come in. And yet this is not a selfish but a selfless state. It takes you beyond what you previously thought of as 'your self'." (Eckhart Tolle)

"mushin, which literally means 'no-mind.' According to the Zen masters, mushin is operating when the actor is separate from the act and no thoughts interfere with action because the unconscious act is the most free and uninhibited. When mushin functions, the mind moves from one activity to another, flowing like a stream of water and filling every space." (Bruce Lee)

"No-mind does not mean the unconsciousness of wood or tile. It means that when you come into contact with external objects, your mind is immovable and does not get attached to anything. There is total freedom and non-obstruction. You are not defiled by anything. On the other hand, you should not abide in non-defilement either. While you view the body and the mind as a dream and an illusion, you nevertheless do not abide in the emptiness of dreams and illusions. When you reach this state, you have then really achieved no-mind." (Ta-hui Tsung-kao)

"The moment that we are aware of our thoughts we are present.
It takes no-mind to recognize our thoughts because mind and no-mind can not co-exist.
Presence and Mind can not co-exist. So therefor presence, thought awareness and no-mind are one." (Matthew Donnelly)

"The wise have no mind to seek Buddha. The ignorant cling to wrong and right. Passing all their lives in wasted toil, they do not see the sublime peak of realization of being as is. If you realize the essence of lust is empty, then even hellfire is cool." (Pao-chih)

"The world is a projection of your mind. Good mind, good world. Bad mind, bad world. No mind, no world." (Swami Parthasarathy)

"When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need." (Takuan Soho)

"You seem to practice 'Empty Shell Zazen' and think that not thinking of anything is 'no-thought, no-mind'. You even start to feel good sitting vacantly. But if you do that kind of zazen you’ll lose your vigorous energy and become sick or go crazy. True 'no-thought, no-mind' zazen is just one thing - to have a dauntless mind." (Suzuki Shosan)

⛩️Week 2024-03: Sheng-yen [Zhang Baokang] - Collected Quotes

"A prerequisite to progress on the path is to realize that you are ignorant." (Sheng Yen, "Song of Mind: Wisdom from the Zen Classic Xin Ming", 2004)

"If moment by moment you can keep your mind clear then nothing will confuse you." (Sheng-yen, "Getting the Buddha Mind: On the Practice of Chan Retreat", 2005)

"Those who do not have faith in others will not be able to stand on their own." (Sheng-yen, "Dharma drum: The life and heart of Chan practice", 2006)

"Any method can settle the mind in the present moment, but with Silent Illumination you can be relieved of even the present moment. Just take this attitude: don’t worry about the past or the future, and let go of the present too. Just stay in awareness. Chan is called the 'gateless gate' because it has no door to enlightenment." (Sheng Yen, "The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination", 2008)

"One method for calming the mind is to contemplate the transient nature of our thoughts. When you are aware that your thoughts arise and perish of their own accord, there will be no need to be ruled or conditioned by them. Your mind will settle into observing them with detached awareness and your emotions will become even. If you can do this, you will soon be able to pacify your mind." (Sheng Yen, "The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination", 2008)

"Be soft in your practice. Think of the method as a fine silvery stream, not a raging waterfall. Follow the stream, have faith in its course. It will go on its own way, meandering here, trickling there. It will find the grooves, the cracks, the crevices. Just follow it. Never let it out of your sight. It will take you." (Sheng-yen)

"I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go." (Sheng-yen)

"In meditation, silently and serenely, all words are transcended.
In Illumination, all things appear as is.
Silence is the ceasing of ego-grasping. Illumination is the functioning of the wonder of wisdom.
The unity of these two is awakening to Buddha Nature." (Sheng-yen)

🔠Week 2023-23: Mind is...

"Mind is the limit and measure of all things [...]" (Nicolas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "Idiota de mente" ["The Layman: About Mind"], 1450)

"You know how the divine Simplicity enfolds all things. Mind is the image of this enfolding Simplicity." (Nicolas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "Idiota de mente: The Layman: About Mind", 1450)

"Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth." (Desiderius Erasmus, "Praise of Folly", 1509)

"The mind is so constituted that it does not willingly rest in facts and immediate causes, but seeks always after a knowledge of the remoter links in the chain of causation." (Thomas H Huxley, "Discourses Biological and Geological", 1894)

"A truthful mind is necessary for the discovery of truth in Nature." (Sir Richard A Gregory, "Discovery; or, The Spirit and Service of Science", 1916)

"Mind is the first and most direct thing in our experience; all else is remote inference." (Arthur Eddington, "Science and the Unseen World", 1929)

The truly scientific mind is altogether unafraid of the new [...]" (Wilfred Trotter, "Observation and Experiment and Their Use in the Medical Sciences", British Medical Journal Vol. 2, 1930)

"Most mistakes in philosophy and logic occur because the human mind is apt to take the symbol for the reality." (Albert Einstein, "Cosmic Religion: With Other Opinions and Aphorisms", 1931)

"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." (Robertson Davies, "Tempest-Tost", 1951)

"We are part of nature, and our mind is the only instrument we have, or can conceive of, for learning about nature or about ourselves." (Conrad H Waddington, "The Nature of Life", 1960)

"The mind is defined as the sum total of all the programs and the metaprograms of a given human computer, whether or not they are immediately elicitable, detectable, and visibly operational to the self or to others." (John C Lilly "Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer" 2nd Ed., 1972)

"The human mind is constantly drawn to anything that embodies some aspect of symmetry." (Marcus du Sautoy, "Symmetry: A Journey into the Patterns of Nature", 2008)

"The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe." (Albert Einstein)

🌀Week 2023-22: Nicolas of Cusa - Collected Quotes

"All we know of the truth is that the absolute truth, such as it is, is beyond our reach." 

(Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "De Docta Ignorantia" ["On Learned Ignorance"], 1440)

"Wisdom is not to be found in the art of oratory, or in great books, but in a withdrawal from these sensible things and in a turning to the most simple and infinite forms. You will learn how to receive it into a temple purged from all vice, and by fervent love to cling to it until you may taste it and see how sweet That is which is all sweetness. Once this has been tasted, all things which you now consider as important will appear as vile, and you will be so humbled that no arrogance or other vice will remain in you. Once having tasted this wisdom, you will inseparably adhere to it with a chaste and pure heart. You will choose rather to forsake this world and all else that is not of this wisdom, and living with unspeakable happiness you will die." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "De Docta Ignorantia" ["On Learned Ignorance"], 1440)

"Now discourse is necessarily limited by its point of departure and its point of arrival, and since these are in mutual opposition we speak of contradiction. For the discursive reason these terms are opposed and distinct. In the realm of the reason, therefore, there is a necessary disjunction between extremes, as, for example, in the rational definition of the circle where the lines from the center to the circumference are equal and where the center cannot coincide with the circumference." (Nicholas of Cusa, "Apologia Doctae ignorantiae" ["The Defense of Learned Ignorance"], 1449)

"Mind is the limit and measure of all things [...]" (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "Idiota de mente: The Layman: About Mind", 1450)

"You know how the divine Simplicity enfolds all things. Mind is the image of this enfolding Simplicity. If, then, you called this divine Simplicity infinite Mind, it will be the exemplar of our mind. If you called the divine mind the totality of the truth of things, you will call our mind the totality of the assimilation of things, so that it may be a totality of ideas. In the divine Mind conception is the production of things; in our mind conception is the knowledge of things. If the divine Mind is absolute Being, then its conception is the creation of beings; and conception in the human mind is the assimilation of beings." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "Idiota de mente: The Layman: About Mind", 1450)

"[…] a great multitude cannot exist without much diversity […]" (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "De Pace Fidei" ["The Peace of Faith"], 1453)

"All men strive and hope for nothing other than eternal life in their human nature. For this they instituted purgations of souls and sacred rites, in order to be better adapted in their nature to that eternal life." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "De Pace Fidei" ["The Peace of Faith"], 1453)

"There can only be one wisdom. For if it were possible that there be several wisdoms, then these would have to be from one. Namely, unity is prior to all plurality." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "De Pace Fidei" ["The Peace of Faith"], 1453)

"Within itself the soul sees all things more truly than as they exist in different things outside itself. And the more it goes out unto other things in order to know them, the more it enters into itself in order to know itself." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus], "On Equality", 1459)

"If full knowledge about the very base of our existence could be described as a circle, the best we can do is to arrive at a polygon." (Nicholas of Cusa [Nicolaus Cusanus])

"The universe has no circumference, for if it had a center and a circumference there would be some and some thing beyond the world, suppositions which are wholly lacking in truth. Since, therefore, it is impossible that the universe should be enclosed within a corporeal center and corporeal boundary, it is not within our power to understand the universe, whose center and circumference are God. And though the universe." (Nicholas of Cusa[Nicolaus Cusanus])

"Time is to eternity as an image is to its exemplar, and those things which are temporal bear a resemblance to those things which are eternal." (Nicholas of Cusa[Nicolaus Cusanus])

⚛Week 2022-05: Gregory Bateson - Collected Quotes

"If a man achieves or suffers change in premises which are deeply embedded in his mind, he will surely find that the results of that change will ramify throughout his whole universe." (Gregory Bateson, "Steps to an Ecology of Mind", 1972)

"In no system which shows mental characteristics can any part have unilateral control over the whole. In other words, the mental characteristics of the system are imminent, not in some part, but in the system as a whole." (Gregory Bateson, "Steps to an Ecology of Mind", 1972)

"Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy we call mathematics." (Gregory Bateson, "Steps to an Ecology of Mind", 1972)

"We say the map is different from the territory. But what is the territory? Operationally, somebody went out with a retina or a measuring stick and made representations which were then put on paper. What is on the paper map is a representation of what was in the retinal representation of the man who made the map; and as you push the question back, what you find is an infinite regress, an infinite series of maps. The territory never gets in at all. […] Always, the process of representation will filter it out so that the mental world is only maps of maps, ad infinitum." (Gregory Bateson, "Steps to an Ecology of Mind", 1972)

"What we mean by information - the elementary unit of information - is a difference which makes a difference, and it is able to make a difference because the neural pathways along which it travels and is continually transformed are themselves provided with energy. The pathways are ready to be triggered. We may even say that the question is already implicit in them." (Gregory Bateson, "Steps to an Ecology of Mind", 1972)

"Information is any difference that makes a difference."(Gregory Bateson, "Mind and Nature: A necessary unity", 1979)

"Let's not pretend that mental phenomena can be mapped on to the characteristics of billiard balls." (Gregory Bateson, "Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity", 1979)

"The map is not the territory, and the name is not the thing named." (Gregory Bateson, "Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity", 1979)

"The world partly becomes - comes to be - how it is imagined." (Gregory Bateson, "Mind and Nature: A necessary unity", 1979)

🅼Week 2021-26: On Mindfulness

"Mindfulness is Buddha's word for meditation. By mindfulness he means: you should always remain alert, watchful. You should always remain present. Not a single thing should be done in a sort of sleepy state of mind. You should not move like a somnambulist, you should move with a sharp consciousness." (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, "The Discipline of Transcendence: Discourses on the Forty-two Sutras of Buddha", 1978)

"Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as the capacity of your mind to be calm and stable. Without calmness, the mirror of mindfulness will have an agitated and choppy surface and will not be able to reflect things with any accuracy." (Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life", 1994)

"Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally." (Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life", 1994)

"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing." (Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life", 1994)

"Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding." (Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting", 1997)

"Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now." (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

"Mindfulness was experienced as not holding onto the past, the future, or 'nowness:' but relaxing into the immediacy of whatever was happening." (B Alan Wallace, "Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity", 2009)

"As long as we have practiced neither concentration nor mindfulness, the ego takes itself for granted and remains its usual normal size, as big as the people around one will allow." (Ayya Khema)

"Concentration, and mindfulness are the internal ways in which the mind restores itself from being out of balance and lost in confusion to a condition of ease, clarity, and wisdom." (Sylvia Boorstein)

"Do not regard thoughts as something to be abandoned and do not deliberately create nonconceptuality. Place the watcher of mindfulness and you will arrive at the practice of calm abiding." (Gyalwa Yangonpa)

"Fundamentally mindfulness is a simple concept. Its power lies in its practice and its applications. Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and the depth of our possibilities for growth, and transformation." (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

"In the practice of Dhamma all we need is mindfulness. Everything in the world will then become clear." (Ajahn Bua Siripuñño)

"If you know how to practice mindfulness you can generate peace and joy right here, right now. And you'll appreciate that and it will change you. In the beginning, you believe that if you cannot become number one, you cannot be happy, but if you practice mindfulness you will readily release that kind of idea. We need not fear that mindfulness might become only a means and not an end because in mindfulness the means and the end are the same thing. There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

"Meditation is, first of all, a tool for surveying our territory so we can know what is going on. With the energy of mindfulness, we can calm things down, understand them, and bring harmony back to the conflicting elements inside us." (Thich Nhat Hanh) 

"Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help." (Thich Nhat Hahn)

"Mindfulness and compassion actually develop at the same pace. The more mindful you become, the easier you’ll find it to be compassionate. And the more you open your heart to others, the more mindful you become in all your activities." (Mingyur Rinpoche)

"Mindfulness can be cultivated by paying attention in a specific way, that is, in the present moment, and as non-reactively, nonjudgmentally and openheartedly as possible." (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

"Mindfulness practice means that we commit fully in each moment to be present; inviting ourselves to interface with this moment in full awareness, with the intention to embody as best we can an orientation of calmness, mindfulness, and equanimity right here and right now." (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

"Mindfulness meditation should be more than just watching what you are doing. What you really need to watch is your motivation." (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)

"Now what, monks, is the Noble Eightfold Path? [It is] as follows: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration." (Magga-vibhanga Sutta)

"The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

"True mindfulness is the awareness that everything you encounter is a vigorous expression of the same living universe as you." (Brad Warner)

"We are all connected. When you touch one thing, you are touching everything. Whatever we do has an effect on others. Therefore, we must learn to live mindfully to touch the peace inside each of us. Peace in the world starts with peace in oneself. If everyone lives mindfully, everyone will be more healthy, feel more fulfilled in their daily lives and there will be more peace. This collective mindfulness can bring positive change to our families, organizations, communities, nations and future generations." (Thich Nhat Hanh)

"When mental involvement in purity and impurity is ended, the mind does not dwell in bondage or liberation; it has no mindfulness of striving or nonstriving, or of bondage or liberation." (Pai-chang)

"When we let go of wanting something else to happen in this moment, we are taking a profound step toward being able to encounter what is here now. If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing. If we don't really know where we are standing - a knowing that comes directly from the cultivation of mindfulness - we may only go in circles, for all our efforts and expectations. So, in meditation practice, the best way to get somewhere is to let go of trying to get anywhere at all." (Jon Kabat-Zinn)

🅼Week 2021-25: On Mind (The Spiritual Mind)

"The more a man thinks the better adapted he becomes to thinking, and education is nothing if it is not the methodical creation of the habit of thinking. Precisely. Theoretically, education is a mental training aiming at greater intellectual elasticity, but the question is whether education does not often strain, instead of train, a mind." (Ernest Dimnet, "The Art of Thinking", 1928)

"Most mistakes in philosophy and logic occur because the human mind is apt to take the symbol for the reality." (Albert Einstein, "Cosmic Religion: With Other Opinions and Aphorisms" , 1931) 

"Peace of mind is that mental condition in which you have accepted the worst." (Lin Yutang, "The Importance of Living", 1937)

"The limits of thought are not so much set from outside, by the fullness or poverty of experiences that meet the mind, as from within, by the power of conception, the wealth of formulative notions with which the mind meets experiences." (Susanne Langer, "Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and Art", 1942) 

"A single word from you will show the mind inside; a single word and your whole being is exposed. Not even a word is needed; just a gesture and your chattering mind will be there. Even if you are silent, your silence will not reveal anything other than the chattering monkey within." (Osho, "Hsin Hsin Ming: The Book of Nothing", [talks] 1974)

"The mind cannot be healthy because it can never be whole. Mind is always divided; division is its base." (Osho, "Hsin Hsin Ming: The Book of Nothing", [talks] 1974)

"The untrapped mind is open enough to see many possibilities, humble enough to learn from anyone and anything, forbearing enough to forgive all, perceptive enough to see things as they really are, and reasonable enough to judge their true value." (Matsushita Konosuke, "Nurturing Dreams: My Path in Life", 1989)

"The mind has power over the body and speech, and therefore any training of body and speech must begin with the mind." (Dalai Lama, "Stages Of Meditation", 2002)

"The mind is something that happens within you. Thinking is something that happens within what you are. Thinking does not define what you are. Thinking doesn't define anything." (Adyashanti, "The Basic Teachings - Part 1: Principles of the Teaching", 2009)

"A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it." (Rabindranath Tagore)

"All outer and inner phenomena are designations of the mind. Except in the mind, they exist nowhere else." (Sambuti)

"All phenomena are mind itself, because appearances are reflections." (Mahasiddha Birwapa)

"An educated mind is useless without a focused will, and dangerous without a loving heart." (Winfried Deijmann)

"Be quiet in your mind, quiet in your senses, and also quiet in your body. Then, when all these are quiet, don't do anything. In that state truth will reveal itself to you." (Kabir)

"Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate." (Chuang-Tzu)

"Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances." (Benjamin Franklin)

"If you correct your mind, the rest of your life will fall into place." (Lao Tzu)

"In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few." (Shunryu Suzuki)

"In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate." (Rene Descartes)

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind." (Leonardo da Vinci)

"Keep constantly in mind in how many things you yourself have witnessed changes already. The universe is change, life is understanding." (Marcus Aurelius)

"Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets." (Leonardo da Vinci)

"Maturity of mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty." (John Finley)

"Mind alone is the seed of everything." (Saraha)

"More important than learning how to recall things is finding ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind." (Eric Butterworth)

"Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind." (David G. Allen)

"The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds." (John M Keynes)

"The helps offered to improve the mind consist in certain ways of thinking which facilitate thinking." (Gottfried W Leibniz)

"The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms." (Thich N Hanh)

"The two most powerful agencies in man's nature are reason and mind." (Plutarch)

"The universality of change, when completely understood, is the seeing into the heart of all things, and the mind that thus understands is the mind that truly seeks the way." (Nagarjuna)

"The world is a projection of your mind. Good mind, good world. Bad mind, bad world. No mind, no world." (Swami Parthasarathy)

"Things are not difficult to make; what is difficult is putting ourselves in the state of mind to make them." (Constantin Brâncuși)

"To a mind that is still the whole universe surrenders." (Lao Tzu)

"To be satisfied with a little, is the greatest wisdom; and he that increaseth his riches, increaseth his cares; but a contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not." (Akhenaton)

"When mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence." (Sri Aurobindo)

"When the heart is full, tongue is silent; when the mind is still, intuition functions; when the passions are quelled, devotion dawns; when the senses are controlled, soul force is obtained; when the intellect is silent God speaks; when the 'I' dies, 'He' shines as Radiant Reality" (Swami Sivananda) 

🅼Week 2021-24: On Mind (Warrior's Mind)

"A good martial artist puts his mind on one thing at a time. He takes each thing as it comes, finishes with it, and passes on to the next." (Bruce Lee)

"A good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind." (Morihei Ueshiba)

"Any technique, however worthy and desirable, becomes a disease when the mind is obsessed with it." (Bruce Lee)

"Defeat is a state of mind. No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as reality." (Bruce Lee)

"Do not place hope in finding a secret technique. Polish the mind through ceaseless training; that is the key to effective techniques." (Kyuzo Mifune)

"In extreme situations, the entire universe becomes our foe; at such critical times, unity of mind and technique is essential - do not let your heart waver!" (Morihei Ueshiba, "The Art of Peace", 1991)

"It is because a mirror has no commitment to any image that it can clearly and accurately reflect any image before it.  The mind of a warrior is like a mirror in that it has no commitment to any outcome and is free to let form and purpose result on the spot, according to the situation." (Yagyu Munenori)

"See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body." (Yagyū Munenori)

"The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing,' for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the swordsman, it means death." (Takuan)

"The possession of anything begins in the mind." (Bruce Lee)

"The secret of kime (tightening the mind) is to exclude all extraneous thoughts, thoughts that are not concerned with achieving your immediate goal." (Bruce Lee)

"There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within." (Morihei Ueshiba)

"Training with the right attitude of mind is the key to transforming what we do from a sport to a martial art" (Shifu Yan Lei)

"Whatever state of mind you are in, ignore it. Think only of cutting." (Miyamoto Musashi)

"When you practice archery, if your mind is occupied with shooting the arrow, the shot will be disturbed, and will not be settled (smooth). If you are wielding the long sword, and your mind is fixed on wielding the sword, the sword will not move smoothly." (Yagyu Munenori)