Pai-Chang (720-814)

O my god, this is perfect truth! That enlightenment is nothing more than seeing the world for what it is and not as you want it to be or others think it should be. When you are enlightened you are not suddenly holy, you aren't better than anyone around you. You just are. You are at peace with that. The world still turns, people are still people, but You are at peace. Isn't that all you really need? You to just be, and not live for others or striven for glory and success. But to be successful in seeing and given compassion to others. To be enlightened is to hold the world and reality in the palm of your hand, and not caring if it dissappears.

Hui-Hui (8th Century)

OK, so what I got out of this reading is something that I've found in a lot of the past few readings: Quiet the mind, ignore the self and surrounding world and the truths of the universe will reveal themselves to you. It really seems to be a common thought. But how is that ever going to reach people in today's world. Everyone and everything is go go go. There is no time breathe let alone to think about not thinking. But it is something that is really getting me. The more I hear it the more and more it makes perfect sense and it seems ridiculous that more people don't try it. To free your mind of self- righteousness and worldly things such as time and reality and open your mind's eye to the creativity of our creator. We are all as simple and complex as a child's finger painting.... It really sounds absurd, but It makes sense to me.

Shmeleke of Nikolsburg (?-1778)

This passage, to me, ties greatly to the Hindu passage about the jewels. Its saying that we all are one and connected by god. That our consciousness is shared through Him. As humans we have a hard time grasping the infinity of God's reach. We are all a part of Him and Him a part in all of us. This is also a passage of forgiveness and understanding. Understanding that even though God is in all of us, that as humans we cloud our minds with Earthly thoughts. We can forget what we really are and look for glory in our worldly bodies, something that is rarely found and is always superficial. And a lesson to give forgiveness to those who may lose their way from God, those who have wrong us in some way. Wronging them in return is also a punishment for ourselves and a ripple of hurt and heartache are the only things to follow. That repeating that anger and sorrow creates only more anger and sorrow and the word of God gets ignored. Instead we should release ourselves of those burdens and forgive those who caused our suffering, because they are suffering to. Release the world from anger and hatred and we are able to embrace the love of God inside us, for we are all important, flawless entities in His eyes and if one link in His perfect chain is flawed, we all become flawed.

Dov Baer of Mezritch (?-1772)

Dov Baer seems to me to be a man of great conviction but not of ridged "religion". To me his words seem to radiate spirituality. He speaks of the self as something imaginary. When commenting on how to say Torah, he says, "You must be nothing but an ear that hears what the universe of the word is constantly saying within you. The moment you begin to hear what you yourself are saying, you must stop." I think that this is a very profound thought. What I think he is trying to get across is that people are not the themselves holy. That what God gave them is holy and to see that you must look past your own consciousness and be devoured by the magnificence of what God has given. Once they begin to see themselves as doing things or saying things, they have take the credit for what God is doing or saying through them. Dov Baer seems to have an understanding that God is working through everything and that if you let go yourself that everything will become clear and meaningful. People seem to complicate things and try to put things in man-made categorize that don't really exist. They try to derive a meaning that can not be understood by the human mind alone. Dov Baer says in he last passage, "...the masters who in their work disengage themselves from what is bodily and do nothing but meditate to God, actually see the universe as it was in the state of nothingness before creation. They change the something back into nothing. This more miraculous: to begin from a lower state." Again, I believe that he is trying to say that when you can disconnect for world realities, you are able to see the meanings of things and the messages behind them.

Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, Pg.158-161

This passage really reflects most Christians views of others. If they don't look like you and they don't act like you, they aren't worthy of the things you are. In my experience it really boils down to the way of worship. Some Christians seem really narrow minded in how it is appropriate to worship God and earn a ticket to heaven. I really think that's all backwards. It seems ludicrous to think that there is only one way of doing anything. And how can they be sure that theirs is the right way? What if they are interpreting the whole message wrong? Is that also a possibility? I believe that Sa-go-ye-wat-ha really had the right idea. Religion seems to be one person telling a bunch of other people what to believe, how to practice it, and what is right and wrong, but should those all be something that everyone should decide for themselves. One person can not tell another that what they believe is wrong because they themselves don't know the real truth. One of the most inspiring things that Sa-go-ye-wat-ha said was "We also have religion which was given to our forefathers and has been handed down to us, their children. We worship in that way. It teaches us to be grateful for all the favors we receive, to love one another, and to be united. We never quarrel about religion. We know that that the Great Spirit is pleased that we follow the traditions of our forefathers, for in doing so we receive his blessing." Aren't those the teachings that Christianity was founded on? Aren't those beliefs and practices a way of leading a good life anyways? It is this kinds of examples of bigoted Christianity that make me sad and wish for something to open their eyes and their hearts to what really matters.