Andrew Holecek Quotes

“As the mind relaxes its vicelike grip on thoughts and things, which happens with meditation, it doesn’t get so tired. When we sleep, we finally get to relax and rest. But if we’re relaxed and rested all the time, which is the mind of a buddha, there’s no need to relax the mind at night.”

“Fear is the minion of ignorance — where you find ignorance, you will find fear.”

“For the ego, ignorance really is bliss.”

“In the Buddhist view, sleep is a product of ignorance. Indeed, 'sleep' is another code word for ignorance. Buddhas, as 'the awakened ones' or 'the ones who know', literally don’t sleep.”

“Psychopathology has always been considered — in one sense or another — as resulting from a distorted view of reality. But what one considers to be psychopathology therefore must depend upon what one considers to be reality.”

“in a world dedicated to distraction, silence and stillness terrify us; we protect ourselves from them with noise and frantic busyness. Looking into the nature of our mind is the last thing we would dare to do.”

“We don’t see things the way they are; we see things the way we are.”

“The simplicity of mindfulness belies its profundity. It is the gateway to immortality.”

“Unrecognized thought is the daytime equivalent of falling asleep. Each discursive thought is a mini-daydream. Drifting off into mindless thinking is how we end up sleepwalking through life — and therefore death.”