Commonplace Book: Shunryu Suzuki

"Whatever we see is changing, losing its balance. The reason everything looks beautiful is because it is out of balance, but its background is always in perfect harmony. This is how everything exists in the realm of Buddha nature, losing its balance against a background of perfect balance. So if you see things without realizing the background of Buddha nature, everything appears to be in the form of suffering.”

Dosho Port on Zen and a Teacher

"Despite what you might read in the cyberwhirl, Zen is a relational undertaking. Therefore, to authentically be engaged in Zen practice, it is simply necessary to be engaged in a teacher-student relationship."

- Dosho Port from his blog.

Unknown on Zen

"The life of zen is a life of constant humiliation."

- Unknown.

Let me know if you know who said this first. Think it might be Suzuki.

Roseanne

“Cry all you want to, but you figure out a way to put my name on the show I created, or kiss my ass good-bye.”

- Roseanne

"And I should know", New York Magazine. 2011

Commonplace Book: Dogen

"...if there are fish that would swim or birds that would fly only after investigating the entire ocean or sky, they would find neither path nor place.”

Genjokoan, Dogen.

More Bits from DFW's Infinite Jest

“…you attain the goal and realize the shocking realization that attaining the goal does not complete or redeem you, does not make everything for your life “OK” as you are, in the culture, educated to assume it will do this, the goal. And then you face this fact that what you had thought would have the meaning it does not have the meaning when you get it, and you are impaled by shock.”

- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest

Zahariadis on Rationality

“Uncover rather than assume rationality”

- N. Zahariadis

Kant on Judicial Punishment

“Judicial punishment can never be used merely as a means to promote some other good for the criminal himself or for civil society, but instead it must in all cases be imposed on him only on the ground that he has committed a crime; for a human being can never be manipulated merely as a means to the purposes of someone else."

-Kant

Bit from David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest

“One of the weepers was nearly skirling, an inhuman keeing sound.”

- David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest

Zahariadis on Policy Entreprenuers

“In a world replete with ambiguity, the most important aspect of entrepreneurial activity is not to pursue self-interest, but to clarify or create meaning for those policy makers, and others who have problematic preferences…Policy entrepreneurs are goal-intending manipulators."

-N. Zahariadis