Nothing to Grasp
Joan Tollifson
Top 10 Best Quotes
“During the last year she was alive, at age 95, my mother said many times, “It’s so freeing to realize that nothing really matters.” She said it joyously, with relief, as if a burden had been lifted. She also said over and over, “Love yourself". Tollifson, Joan. Nothing to Grasp (p. 174). New Harbinger Publications. Kindle Edition.”
“You may discover that when there is no resistance to totally being in hell, heaven opens up and samsara reveals its true nature as nirvana.”
“True freedom is the willingness for life to be as it is, no matter how it appears. This willingness is expressed in the Abrahamic religions as “Thy will be done.” Paradoxically, in completely accepting everything just as it is, there is space for something truly new and creative to enter the picture. And this space is never not here.”
“Presence is not an object. It is the openness that beholds it all.”
“Basic awareness meditation is really nothing more or less than giving open, nonjudgmental attention to present-moment, non-conceptual experiencing. You don’t have to be in the lotus position. This can happen on the city bus.”
“we maintain awareness, whether we know it or not, healing is taking place… a door that has been shut begins to open…. As the door opens, we see that the present is absolute and that, in a sense, the whole universe begins right now, in each second. And the healing of life is in that second of simple awareness…. Healing is always just being here, with a simple mind. —Charlotte Joko Beck”
“Waking up is the end of spirituality in the usual sense of that word. With that in mind, we can approach various nondual explorations (or practices, if you want to call them that) in a playful way, as natural and spontaneous activities of life. Like art, music or dancing, they are ways in which life is exploring, enjoying, revealing, loving and entertaining itself.”
“Unlike seeking, which is result-oriented and rooted in a sense of dissatisfaction and incompleteness, this kind of meditative inquiry is rooted in curiosity, interest and love. Much as a lover explores the beloved, this nondual, nonconceptual inquiry is an act of love and devotion. Much as a child explores the world with open curiosity and wonder, this kind of inquiry is a form of play and self-discovery.”
“To reveal what is obvious, unavoidable, and never-not-here requires an approach that is not result-oriented, an approach that goes nowhere, an approach that is utterly useless and without purpose.”
“There is no one-size-fits-all spiritual practice or pointer. One person will gravitate to a highly structured approach, another to an approach that is more open and spontaneous. For some, meditating daily on a schedule or practicing with a group may be essential. For others, these activities just get in the way. What we need in one moment may be different from what we need in another moment. There is no one right way. This universe is magnificently diverse and playful.”
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Book Keywords:
meditation, trust, acceptance, life, nirvana, samsara, love, god, heaven, nonduality, oneness, spiritual-practice, detachment, freedom, self-love, spirituality, suffering, presence, life-philosophy, joy, awareness, surrender, hell, self-discovery, self-inquiry, playfulness
