Quotes About Koans

#1. The koans in the Blue Cliff Record do their best to introduce people to their true natures. One of them (number 27 out of 100) quotes a monk asking the master Yun Men, "How is it when the tree withers and the leaves fall?" There are many ways to interpret the question, of course.

Mark Epstein

#2. When we are able to receive life's challenges as koans rather than problems, they become interesting and exciting, rather than ponderous and depressing.

Brenda Shoshanna

#3. Life is full of tough decisions, and nothing makes them easy. But the worst ones are really your personal koans, and tormenting ambivalence is just the sense of satori rising. Try, trust, try, and trust again, and eventually you'll feel your mind change its focus to a new level of understanding.

Martha Beck

#4. One evening you may learn about enlightenment, koans, meditation and personal power.

Frederick Lenz

#5. You listen to people, you listen so deeply that you can hear their past lives,
The crackle of their funeral pyres,

Dick Allen

#6. In the long run, stories are probably no less valuable than money, but in the short run they have their decided

Paul Auster

#7. Whose silence are you?

Thomas Merton

#8. Do not engage an enemy more powerful than you. And if it is unavoidable and you do have to engage, then make sure you engage it on your terms, not on your enemy's terms.

Sun Tzu

#9. Nothing can be more painful than the cry of the word which gave us the inspiration to dream of love.

Sorin Cerin

#10. One of the things that I think I do well as a CEO is that I'm present. When I'm with my employees, I'm there in the moment.

Dick Costolo

#11. Once his scars were revealed, Tanith kissed him, once, on the lips. "I like steak," she said. "Can't go wrong with steak."
"Steak it is," he murmured.
He stepped away, and Valkyrie grinned at Tanith.
"Oh, good God," China said, rolling her eyes. "I do hope the Remnants kill me first.

Derek Landy

#12. The motherfucker really finds a way to say something very simple in a very complicated way," murmured Jean near Dan's ear. "How many words does it take him to say 'I love you'?"
"None." Dan murmured, smiling. "We're long beyond that.

Aleksandr Voinov

#13. How much pleasure can you stand?

Richard Bandler