“
How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.
”
”
Wayne W. Dyer
“
Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.
”
”
Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose)
“
Even if things don't unfold the way you expected, don't be disheartened or give up. One who continues to advance will win in the end.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.
”
”
Randy Pausch (The Last Lecture)
“
If you're really a mean person you're going to come back as a fly and eat poop.
”
”
Kurt Cobain
“
When the karma of a relationship is done, only love remains. It's safe. Let go.
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
“
Even chance meetings are the result of karma… Things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence.
”
”
Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore)
“
Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can't get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don't care who you are. What goes around comes around. That's how it works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve.
”
”
Jessica Brody (The Karma Club)
“
I don’t take my life seriously, but I do take what I do – in my life – seriously -
”
”
Audrey Hepburn (Film und Mode, Mode im Film : [anlässlich der Ausstellung "Film und Mode - Mode im Film" im Deutschen Filmmuseum, Frankfurt/Main, vom 2. März bis 1. April 1990])
“
Like gravity, karma is so basic we often don't even notice it.
”
”
Sakyong Mipham
“
it is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others. This perspective is at the heart of Buddhist teachings.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
I was in the biggest breakdown of my life when I stopped crying long enough to let the words of my epiphany really sink in. That whore, karma, had finally made her way around, and had just bitch-slapped me right across the face. The realization only made me cry harder.
”
”
Jennifer Salaiz
“
You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
”
”
Steve Jobs
“
People get into a heavy-duty sin and guilt trip, feeling that if things are going wrong, that means that they did something bad and they are being punished. That's not the idea at all. The idea of karma is that you continually get the teachings that you need to open your heart. To the degree that you didn't understand in the past how to stop protecting your soft spot, how to stop armoring your heart, you're given this gift of teachings in the form of your life, to give you everything you need to open further.
”
”
Pema Chödrön
“
Life is painful. It has thorns, like the stem of a rose. Culture and art are the roses that bloom on the stem. The flower is yourself, your humanity. Art is the liberation of the humanity inside yourself.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
Is Fate getting what you deserve, or deserving what you get?
”
”
Jodi Picoult (Vanishing Acts)
“
Follow your passions, believe in karma, and you won't have to chase your dreams, they will come to you.
”
”
Randy Pausch
“
Karma is the beginning of knowledge. Next is patience. Patience is very important. The strong are the patient ones, Anjin-san. patience means holding back your inclination to the seven emotions: hate, adoration, joy, anxiety, anger, grief, fear. If you don't give way to the seven, you're patient, then you'll soon understand all manner of things and be in harmony with Eternity.
”
”
James Clavell (Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1))
“
The law is simple. Every experience is repeated or suffered till you experience it properly and fully the first time.
”
”
Ben Okri (Astonishing the Gods)
“
Oh Lestat, you deserved everything that's ever happened to you. You better not die. You might actually go to hell.
”
”
Anne Rice (The Vampire Lestat (The Vampire Chronicles, #2))
“
Karma is a tricky thing. To serve Karma, one must repay good Karma to others. To serve Karma well, one must sometimes deliver bad Karma where it is due.
”
”
M.R. Mathias
“
Those who pray for your downfall are concentrating negative thoughts towards you, without taking cognisance of the slippery ground in which they are standing, which could lead to their downfall.
”
”
Michael Bassey Johnson
“
Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.
”
”
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati (The 11 Karmic Spaces: Choosing Freedom from the Patterns that Bind You)
“
Leave behind the passive dreaming of a rose-tinted future. The energy of happiness exists in living today with roots sunk firmly in reality's soil.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
Manipulation, fueled with good intent, can be a blessing. But when used wickedly, it is the beginning of a magician's karmic calamity.
”
”
T.F. Hodge (From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph over Death and Conscious Encounters With the Divine Presence)
“
Sooner or later in life, we will all take our own turn being in the position we once had someone else in.
”
”
Ashly Lorenzana
“
I must have killed a lot of cows in a past life for Karma to hate me this much.
”
”
Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1))
“
Karma Repair Kit Items 1-4.
1.Get enough food to eat,
and eat it.
2.Find a place to sleep where it is quiet,
and sleep there.
3.Reduce intellectual and emotional noise
until you arrive at the silence of yourself,
and listen to it.
4.
”
”
Richard Brautigan
“
Retribution is tricky. . . . The insult isn't usually worth the risk of punishment. And eventually one learns that karma has a surprising way of taking care of these situations. All you have to do is sit back and watch.
”
”
Candace Bushnell (One Fifth Avenue)
“
You can always improve your situation. But you do so by facing it, not by running away.
”
”
Brad Warner (Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma)
“
karma's a bitch, and so am I
”
”
Rachel Caine (All Hallows (The Morganville Vampires, #6.6))
“
Dear Karma, I really hate you right now, you made your point.
”
”
Ottilie Weber (Family Ties)
“
A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda (The Human Revolution (The Human Revolution, #1-12))
“
Dangerous consequences will follow when politicians and rulers forget moral principles. Whether we believe in God or karma, ethics is the foundation of every religion.
”
”
Dalai Lama XIV
“
Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.
”
”
Arthur Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3))
“
Chasing a man is not winning. The only thing you win is the loss of your dignity. Confidence is knowing your value, instead of expecting a man’s love to provide you with value.
”
”
Shannon L. Alder
“
Irrespective of whether we are believers or agnostics, whether we believe in God or karma, moral ethics is a code which everyone is able to pursue.
”
”
Dalai Lama XIV (The Path To Tranquility: Daily Meditations By The Dalai Lama)
“
Leave the problems of God to God and karma to karma. Today you’re here and nothing you can do will change that. Today you’re alive and here and honored, and blessed with good fortune. Look at this sunset, it’s beautiful, neh? This sunset exists. Tomorrow does not exist. There is only now. Please look. It is so beautiful and it will never happen ever again, never, not this sunset, never in all infinity.
Lose yourself in it, make yourself one with nature and do not worry about karma, yours, mine, or that of the village.
”
”
James Clavell (Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1))
“
Did you really believe I was Toby? Puh-lease. I would have killed myself too. I mean, honestly - ew. He totally had it coming. Karma's a bitch, and so am I - just ask Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer....
”
”
Sara Shepard (Flawless (Pretty Little Liars, #2))
“
A boomerang returns back to the person who throws it.
But first, while moving in a circle, it hits its target.
So does gossip.
”
”
Vera Nazarian (The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration)
“
The first sign that Karma was now in cahoots with the Devil Incarnate to ruin her existance should've been before sunrise and pre-coffee.
”
”
Kelly Moran (The Dysfunctional Test)
“
Fate might hate me, but that doesn't stop me from hoping one day she forgets about her favorite chew toy. When that day comes I hope karma has some fun with that bitch fate
”
”
Harper Sloan (Axel (Corps Security, #1))
“
But this was what happened when you didn't want to visit and confront the past: the past starts visiting and confronting you.
”
”
Bret Easton Ellis (Lunar Park)
“
Now don't you understand man universal law
What you throw out comes back to you, star
Never underestimate those who you scar
Cause karma, karma, karma comes back to you hard
”
”
Lauryn Hill
“
You cannot control the results, only your actions.
”
”
Allan Lokos (Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living)
“
When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms.
”
”
Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati (The 11 Karmic Spaces: Choosing Freedom from the Patterns that Bind You)
“
Instructions for freedom":
1. Life's metaphors are God's instructions.
2. You have just climbed up and above the roof, there is nothing between you and the Infinite; now, let go.
3. The day is ending, it's time for something that was beautiful to turn into something else that is beautiful. Now, let go.
4. Your wish for resolution was a prayer. You are being here is God's response, let go and watch the stars came out, in the inside and in the outside.
5. With all your heart ask for Grace and let go.
6. With all your heart forgive him, forgive yourself and let him go.
7. Let your intention be freedom from useless suffering then, let go.
8. Watch the heat of day pass into the cold night, let go.
9. When the Karma of a relationship is done, only Love remains. It's safe, let go.
10. When the past has past from you at last, let go.. then, climb down and begin the rest of your life with great joy.
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love)
“
my karma was to be born in America where nobody has any fun or believes in anything, especially freedom.
”
”
Jack Kerouac (The Dharma Bums)
“
The children seek to resolve the issue amongst themselves, and mete out punishment to restore balance and keep the game going.
”
”
J.K. Franko (Eye for Eye (Talion #1))
“
King Karma; I know that karma is a force in this universe, and that people will receive karmic justice for their actions. I know that this justice will come when the universe deems it appropriate and it may not be in this lifetime or the next, or the one after that.... but it will come.
”
”
Garth Stein (The Art of Racing in the Rain)
“
Treat other people's home as you want them to respect yours because what goes around comes around.
”
”
Ana Monnar
“
Strange things conspire when one tries to cheat fate
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus, #2))
“
It's my opinion, with some people, just knowing they are alone, living inside of their own miserable, self hating, dysfunctional mind, with their own immature, insecure, self pitying self is its own revenge. Their existence is their karma.
”
”
Colleen Truscott Fry
“
But, mark my words; someday she'll get what's coming to her. Karma's a bigger bitch than she is,
”
”
Kathleen Brooks
“
See, the things we do, everything—the universe is watching. Good and bad. And that motherfucker is making a list like a goddammed accountant. And, in the end, all the accounts have to balance.
”
”
J.K. Franko (Tooth for Tooth (Talion #2))
“
Everyone knows, karma’s a bitch. And today her name was Tory Vega.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (Ruthless Fae (Zodiac Academy, #2))
“
Once you’ve lived a little you will find that whatever you send out into the world comes back to you in one way or another. It may be today, tomorrow, or years from now, but it happens; usually when you least expect it, usually in a form that’s pretty different from the original. Those coincidental moments that change your life seem random at the time but I don’t think they are. At least that’s how it’s worked out in my life. And I know I’m not the only one.
”
”
Slash (Slash)
“
Oppressive bastards, think they own the place. I told them that karma's going to kick their asses....
”
”
Laurie Halse Anderson (Catalyst)
“
Some day people will ask me what is the key to my success...and I will simply say, "good Karma.
”
”
K. Crumley
“
To love means to embrace and at the same time to withstand many endings, and many many beginnings—all in the same relationship.
”
”
Clarissa Pinkola Estés (Women Who Run With the Wolves)
“
The Revelation of Sonmi 451 To be is to be perceived, and so to know thyself is only possible through the eyes of the other. The nature of our immortal lives is in the consequences of our words and deeds, that go on and are pushing themselves throughout all time.
- Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.
”
”
David Mitchell
“
This is your karma. You do not understand now, but you will understand later. The source of pain is within your own larger expression of being.
”
”
H Raven Rose (Shadow Selves)
“
She was starting to think there might be such a thing as karma - that repetition - maybe you lived through the same thing over and over until you stopped caring. Maybe eventually it got less intense, until it was just nothing.
”
”
Janet Fitch (Paint it Black)
“
I want karma to drive stakes into the dark hearts that keep me bitter.
”
”
Corey Taylor (Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good)
“
Our actions are like ships which we may watch set out to sea, and not know when or with what cargo they will return to port.
”
”
Iris Murdoch (The Bell)
“
Karma was a bitch with a good sense of humor.
”
”
Jill Shalvis (The Sweetest Thing (Lucky Harbor, #2))
“
You see, the universe still had accounts to settle. And Susie and I were way overdrawn.
”
”
J.K. Franko (Eye for Eye Trilogy: Boxset 1-3 (Talion, #1-3))
“
Not only is there often a right and wrong, but what goes around does come around, Karma exists, chickens do come home to roost, and as my mother, Phyllis, liked to say, “There is always a day of reckoning.” The good among the great understand that every choice we make adds to the strength or weakness of our spirits—ourselves, or to use an old fashioned word for the same idea, our souls. That is every human’s life work: to construct an identity bit by bit, to walk a path step by step, to live a life that is worthy of something higher, lighter, more fulfilling, and maybe even everlasting.
”
”
Donald Van de Mark (The Good Among the Great: 19 Traits of the Most Admirable, Creative, and Joyous People)
“
The paths to liberation are numerous, but the bank along the way is always the same, the Bank of Karma, where the liberation account of each of us is credited or debited depending on our actions.
”
”
Yann Martel (Life of Pi)
“
1. Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the things they read (or watch, or listen to, or taste, or whatever). They’re also entitled to express them online.
2. Sometimes those opinions will be ones you don’t like.
3. Sometimes those opinions won’t be very nice.
4. The people expressing those may be (but are not always) assholes.
5. However, if your solution to this “problem” is to vex, annoy, threaten or harrass them, you are almost certainly a bigger asshole.
6. You may also be twelve.
7. You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions or karma, but you are responsible for your own.
8. So leave them alone and go about your own life."
[Bad Reviews: I Can Handle Them, and So Should You (Blog post, July 17, 2012)]
”
”
John Scalzi
“
I am a road man for the lords of karma.
”
”
Hunter S. Thompson
“
The karmic philosophy appeals to me on a metaphorical level because even in ones lifetime it's obvious how often we must repeat our same mistakes, banging our heads against the same ole addictions and compulsions, generating the same old miserable and often catastrophic consequences, until we can finally stop and fix it. This is the supreme lesson of karma ( and also of western psychology, by the way)- take care of the problem now, or else you'll just have to suffer again later when you screw everything up the next time. And that repetition of suffering-that's hell. Moving out of that endless repetition to a new level of understanding-there's where you'll find heaven.
”
”
Elizabeth Gilbert
“
It is your karma to fight evil. It doesn't matter if the people that evil is being committed against don't fight back. It doesn't matter if the entire world chooses to look the other way. Always remember this. You don't live with the consequences of other people's karma. You live with the consequences of your own
”
”
Amish Tripathi (The Secret of the Nagas (Shiva Trilogy #2))
“
Love your neighbor, even the ones who do not show you the same courtesy. You can’t expect to receive love if you’re selective and not really willing to give it. What you put into the world, you will indeed get back, even if it’s not from the person you’re expecting it to be.
”
”
Alexandra Elle (Words from a Wanderer)
“
Have you completely made up for all the bad things you've done? No. But you keep adding to the good things column. That's all any of us can do.
”
”
Rick Riordan (The Tyrant’s Tomb (The Trials of Apollo, #4))
“
Karma was a bitch and a half.
”
”
Jennifer L. Armentrout (Sentinel (Covenant, #5))
“
It's already bad. I'm honestly not sure how much worse it's going to get." Notice that I didn't say couldn't get worse. It can always get worse. I know this. And thus I refuse to tempt fate. Superstitious - probably. But magic exists. So does karma, and karma can be a bitch.
”
”
Cat Adams (Blood Song (Blood Singer, #1))
“
The mind is everything. What you think, you become
”
”
Gautama Buddha (Buddha - The Gospel)
“
If your actions were to boomerang back on you instantly, would you still act the same? Doing to others an act you’d rather not have done to you reveals a powerful internal conflict.
”
”
Alexandra Katehakis
“
Remember, your destiny has been foretold long ago. You just have to stand up and seize it.
”
”
Merlin Franco (Saint Richard Parker)
“
The sort of words a man says is the sort he hears in return.
”
”
Homer (The Iliad)
“
Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. "this is it", he said, standing by a small khaki-colored jeep."this car has protective qualities"
You mean like a guardian angel?"
I mean, like, it has seatbelts
”
”
Janet Evanovich (Hot Six (Stephanie Plum, #6))
“
I'm not a believer in predetermined fates, being rewarded for one's efforts. I'm not a believer in karma. The reason why I try to be a good person is because I think it's the right thing to do. If I commit fewer bad acts there will be fewer bad acts, maybe other people will join in committing fewer bad acts, and in time there will be fewer and fewer of them.
”
”
Daniel Handler
“
But guilt is guilt. It doesn't go away. It can't be nullified. It can't even be fully understood, I'm certain - it's roots run too deep into private and long-standing karma. About the only thing that saves my neck when I get to feeling this way is that guilt is an imperfect form of knowledge. Just because it isn't perfect doesn't mean that it can't be used. The hard thing to do is to put it to practical use, before it gets around to paralyzing you.
”
”
J.D. Salinger (Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction)
“
I mean, how sad is it that I needed a freaking Facebook profile to tell me my boyfriend was no longer my boyfriend? As if Facebook is the official record keeper of relationships and you have to confirm all breakups and hookups with this sacred online registrar before you can consider them certified and approved.
”
”
Jessica Brody (The Karma Club)
“
Expectations are at war, if good feeling and discomfort clash. When we are expecting zest and joy, our good karma may be ousted by distress and frustration, if negative downbeat waves are emitted. Just with a feel of realism, without prejudice, should we step into the future. What will be, will be. Only the fortune of war will tell, since life may be war or peace. ("Fish for silence.")
”
”
Erik Pevernagie
“
I'm not a philosopher, Harry," [Michael] said. "But here's something for you to think about, at least. What goes around comes around. And sometimes you get what's coming around." He paused for a moment, frowning faintly, pursing his lips. "And sometimes you are what's coming around.
”
”
Jim Butcher (Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3))
“
The institutions of human society treat us as parts of a machine. They assign us ranks and place considerable pressure upon us to fulfill defined roles. We need something to help us restore our lost and distorted humanity. Each of us has feelings that have been suppressed and have built up inside. There is a voiceless cry resting in the depths of our souls, waiting for expression. Art gives the soul's feelings voice and form.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
While we may judge things as good or bad, karma doesn't. It's a simple case of like gets like, the ultimate balancing act, nothing more, nothing less. And if you're deteremined to fix every situation you deem as bad, or difficult, or somehow unsavory, then you rob the person of their own chance to fix it, learn from it, or even grow from it. Some things, no matter how painful, happen for a reason. A reason you or I may not be able to grasp at first sight, not without knowing a person's entire life story—their cumulative past. And to just barge in and interfere, no matter how well-intentioned, would be akin to robbing them of their journey. Something that's better not done.
”
”
Alyson Noel (Shadowland (The Immortals, #3))
“
I would have done anything for him. But these days, I don't want to do anything. I don't want to get drunk or go to a wild party or make out with random boys-not that I've ever wanted to. I don't want to watch chick flicks or eat ice cream or get a haircut or buy out half of the mall. I don't want cold, cruel revenge. I don't want to see him suffer when karma catches up with him and kick his ass. I don't even want to talk to him right now, simply because it would be awkward and pathetic and I wouldn't know what to say to him. Yes, there is self-control, preventing me from being stupid and acting like a desperate doofus in the manner most heartbroken people do. But there is also a weary numbness threatening to consume every inch of me: Isn't there a way for me to skip straight to the part where I'm fine again?
”
”
Marla Miniano (Every Girl's Guide to Heartache)
“
Then, like magic, it seemed like the universe provided a solution. And I thought—okay, this is how. This will work. There’s hope—light at the end of the tunnel. A silver lining, you know?” Roy shook his head. “Fuck. I was so stupid. I was too proud to realize that there was no way it could ever happen. That there couldn’t be a happy ending for us. It was just a set-up. You see, the universe still had accounts to settle. And Susie and I, we were way overdrawn.
”
”
J.K. Franko (Tooth for Tooth (Talion #2))
“
But, if we consider, as physicists now claim, that everything is energy—everything we see, everything we think, everything we do—then it is just possible that this same law of conservation of energy applies to questions of morality. A conservation of moral energy, a maintenance of equilibrium… a balance exists and must be preserved. If an action is taken that disrupts that balance, then an action similar in kind and degree is required to restore equilibrium.
”
”
J.K. Franko (Eye for Eye (Talion #1))
“
Be grateful to everyone" is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected... If we were to make a list of people we don't like - people we find obnoxious, threatening, or worthy of contempt - we would discover much about those aspects of ourselves that we can't face... other people trigger the karma that we haven't worked out.
”
”
Pema Chödrön (Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion)
“
How aware are we of our own inner life, our spirituality-something so intangible yet so priceless? How much effort do we make to perceive that which is not obvious, which can neither be seen nor heard? I believe the exploration and enrichment of the human spirit is what determines our very humanity. Such enrichment provides an inner compass that can lead civilizations to greatness.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
Situations seem to happen to people, but in reality, they unfold from deeper karmic causes. The universe unfolds to itself, bringing to bear any cause that needs to be included. Don’t take this process personally. The working out of cause and effect is eternal. You are part of this rising and falling that never ends, and only by riding the wave can you ensure that the waves don’t drown you. The ego takes everything personally, leaving no room for higher guidance or purpose. If you can, realize that a cosmic plan is unfolding and appreciate the incredibly woven tapestry for what it is, a design of unparalleled marvel.
”
”
Deepak Chopra (The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life)
“
Isn't it only through laughter that we become one with the gods and thus can endure life and can overcome all the horror and waste and suffering here on earth? Like tonight, watching all those brave men meet their fate here, on this shore, on this gentle night, through a karma ordained a thousand lifetimes ago, or perhaps even one.
Isn’t it only through laughter we can stay human?
”
”
James Clavell (Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1))
“
Te libero de mí, de mis males, de mi mal genio, de los domingos por la tarde en donde nunca puedo más, del odio a mi cumpleaños, de no saber cómo hacer para regalarte algo que no pierdas. Te libero de mi desengaño, de tu karma, de mis novedades, de la contradicción que represento. Te libero de mis llamadas que te saben a autocompasión, de mis enredos, de mi cabello suelto, largo, sin peinar,. Te libero de mi consciencia , del desconcierto a fin de mes, de la caída, de la llegada, de mi huída inevitable. Te dejo libre para que me dejes, para que me veas de lejos y me quieras menos.
”
”
Mario Benedetti
“
Through the reciprocation of energy, always, and every time, we will get exactly what we put out there to others. Like Karma, whatever we do will indefinitely come back to us in some way shape or form.
When goodness is given, it is likely to returned.
When you support someone, you will be supported.
When you Love, you will be Loved.
If you give someone your last dollar, someone will help you equally.
This is the law of the universe. What selfless characteristics do you portray to benefit your reality? Expand.
”
”
Will Barnes (The Expansion of The Soul)
“
Always choose to be smart
There are two types of people in the world,
the seekers of riches and the wise thinkers,
those who believe that the important thing is money,
and those who know that knowledge is the true treasure.
I, for my part, choose the second option,
Though I could have everything I want
I prefer to be an intelligent person,
and never live in a game of vain appearances.
Knowledge can take you far
far beyond what you imagine,
It can open doors and opportunities for you.
and make you see the world with different eyes.
But in this eagerness to be "wise",
There is a task that is a great challenge.
It is facing the fear of the unknown,
and see the horrors around every corner.
It's easy to be brave when you're sure,
away from dangers and imminent risks,
but when death threatens you close,
"wisdom" is not enough to protect you.
Because, even if you are smart and cunning,
death sometimes comes without mercy,
lurking in the darkest shadows,
and there is no way to escape.
That is why the Greek philosophers,
They told us about the moment I died,
an idea we should still take,
to understand that death is a reality.
Wealth can't save you
of the inevitable arrival of the end,
and just as a hoarder loses his treasures,
we also lose what we have gained.
So, if we have to choose between two things,
that is between being cunning or rich,
Always choose the second option
because while the money disappears,
wisdom helps us face dangers.
Do not fear death, my friend,
but embrace your intelligence,
learn all you can in this life,
and maybe you can beat time and death
for that simple reason always choose to be smart.
Maybe death is inevitable
But that doesn't mean you should be afraid
because intelligence and knowledge
They will help you face any situation and know what to do.
No matter what fate has in store,
wisdom will always be your best ally,
to live a life full of satisfaction,
and bravely face any situation.
So don't settle for what you have
and always look for ways to learn more,
because in the end, true wealth
It is not in material goods, but in knowledge.
Always choose to be smart,
Well, that will be the best investment.
that will lead you on the right path,
and it will make you a better version of yourself.
”
”
Marcos Orowitz (THE MAELSTROM OF EMOTIONS: A selection of poems and thoughts About us humans and their nature)
“
On the first day of November last year, sacred to many religious calendars but especially the Celtic, I went for a walk among bare oaks and birch. Nothing much was going on. Scarlet sumac had passed and the bees were dead. The pond had slicked overnight into that shiny and deceptive glaze of delusion, first ice. It made me remember sakes and conjure a vision of myself skimming backward on one foot, the other extended; the arms become wings. Minnesota girls know that this is not a difficult maneuver if one's limber and practices even a little after school before the boys claim the rink for hockey. I think I can still do it - one thinks many foolish things when November's bright sun skips over the entrancing first freeze.
A flock of sparrows reels through the air looking more like a flying net than seventy conscious birds, a black veil thrown on the wind. When one sparrow dodges, the whole net swerves, dips: one mind. Am I part of anything like that?
Maybe not. The last few years of my life have been characterized by stripping away, one by one, loves and communities that sustain the soul. A young colleague, new to my English department, recently asked me who I hang around with at school. "Nobody," I had to say, feeling briefly ashamed. This solitude is one of the surprises of middle age, especially if one's youth has been rich in love and friendship and children. If you do your job right, children leave home; few communities can stand an individual's most pitiful, amateur truth telling. So the soul must stand in her own meager feathers and learn to fly - or simply take hopeful jumps into the wind.
In the Christian calendar, November 1 is the Feast of All Saints, a day honoring not only those who are known and recognized as enlightened souls, but more especially the unknowns, saints who walk beside us unrecognized down the millennia. In Buddhism, we honor the bodhisattvas - saints - who refuse enlightenment and return willingly to the wheel of karma to help other beings. Similarly, in Judaism, anonymous holy men pray the world from its well-merited destruction. We never know who is walking beside us, who is our spiritual teacher. That one - who annoys you so - pretends for a day that he's the one, your personal Obi Wan Kenobi. The first of November is a splendid, subversive holiday.
Imagine a hectic procession of revelers - the half-mad bag lady; a mumbling, scarred janitor whose ravaged face made the children turn away; the austere, unsmiling mother superior who seemed with great focus and clarity to do harm; a haunted music teacher, survivor of Auschwitz. I bring them before my mind's eye, these old firends of my soul, awakening to dance their day. Crazy saints; but who knows what was home in the heart? This is the feast of those who tried to take the path, so clumsily that no one knew or notice, the feast, indeed, of most of us.
It's an ugly woods, I was saying to myself, padding along a trail where other walkers had broken ground before me. And then I found an extraordinary bouquet. Someone had bound an offering of dry seed pods, yew, lyme grass, red berries, and brown fern and laid it on the path: "nothing special," as Buddhists say, meaning "everything." Gathered to formality, each dry stalk proclaimed a slant, an attitude, infinite shades of neutral.
All contemplative acts, silences, poems, honor the world this way. Brought together by the eye of love, a milkweed pod, a twig, allow us to see how things have been all along. A feast of being.
”
”
Mary Rose O'Reilley (The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd)