The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in ones hands. The harder we grip, the more it slips through our fingers.

Quote by Alan Watts

Topics: Change Quotes, Effort Quotes, Present Quotes

The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.

The ego is nothing other than the focus of conscious attention.

The style of God venerated in the church, mosque, or synagogue seems completely different from...

The style of God venerated in the church, mosque, or synagogue seems completely different from...

But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

But my dear man, reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave...

You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave...

But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever...

But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever...

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity...

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity...

So what is discord at one level of your being is harmony at another level.

So what is discord at one level of your being is harmony at another level.

If you study the writings of the mystics, you will always find things in them...

If you study the writings of the mystics, you will always find things in them...

Faith is a state of openness or trust.

Faith is a state of openness or trust.

In known history, nobody has had such capacity for altering the universe than the people...

In known history, nobody has had such capacity for altering the universe than the people...

But we try to pretend, you see, that the external world exists altogether independently of...

But we try to pretend, you see, that the external world exists altogether independently of...

We could say that meditation doesn't have a reason or doesn't have a purpose. In...

We could say that meditation doesn't have a reason or doesn't have a purpose. In...

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen...

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen...

So the bodhisattva saves all beings, not by preaching sermons to them, but by showing...

So the bodhisattva saves all beings, not by preaching sermons to them, but by showing...

But to me nothing - the negative, the empty - is exceedingly powerful.

But to me nothing - the negative, the empty - is exceedingly powerful.

What the devil is the point of surviving, going on living, when it's a drag?...

What the devil is the point of surviving, going on living, when it's a drag?...

The reason we want to go on and on is because we live in an...

The reason we want to go on and on is because we live in an...

We could say that meditation doesn't have a reason or doesn't have a purpose. In...

We could say that meditation doesn't have a reason or doesn't have a purpose. In...

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

On the contrary, Subhuti, those Bodhisattvas who, when these words of the sutra are being...

On the contrary, Subhuti, those Bodhisattvas who, when these words of the sutra are being...

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a...

Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless - like water. Now you put water into a...

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.