12 Quotes by Benjamin Riggs

Shantideva asks, “Is it easier to cover the world with leather or to put on a pair of shoes?

The only true joy on earth,” writes Merton, “is to escape from the prison of our own false-self, and enter by love into union with the Life Who dwells and sings within the essence of every creature and in the core of our own souls.

In meditation, we commit to reality by renouncing our escape plans. We will not stop running away from our suffering until we see there is nowhere to run. There are no other options, just what is. To retreat into what is not is to slip into self-deception, which is the way of suffering.

Thoughts are only problematic when we mistake them for direct experience.

When asked to sum up the Buddha’s teachings in one phrase, Suzuki Roshi said, “Everything changes.

Spiritual practice moves beyond belief and theory and into the realm of action where change takes place.

Spiritual perfection is not defined by external demands. It is the heartfelt desire to be true to our Self and the degree of willingness with which we respond to that desire. The willingness to be honest with ourselves is the practical foundation of humility.

Transformation requires action. It takes practice. We have to learn how to sit with our experience: the good, the bad, and the boring. This skill is called meditation.

We watch the mind as it turns the present moment into a problem and entertains itself by chasing after a solution to the problem it just created.