Our tolerance for forms of religious expression we disagree with is a precise barometer of our own spiritual security.
Lawrence KushnerRead
...the goal of all spiritual life is to get your ego out of the way - outwit the sucker; dissolve it; shoot it; kill it. Silence the incessant planning, organizing, running, manipulating, possessing, and processing"... "because these activities preclude awareness of the Divine.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of transcending the ego to connect with the divine.
In this quote, Kushner highlights the spiritual journey as one that necessitates moving beyond the ego, which tends to distract and separate us from profound awareness and connection with the Divine. He suggests that activities driven by the ego, such as planning and controlling, impede our spiritual growth and understanding, and therefore, one must actively work to silence these impulses to attain true spiritual insight.
Themes
EgoSpiritualityDivineAwarenessTranscendence
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation workshop, I shared this quote to emphasize the importance of letting go of the ego to connect with one's true self.
More from Lawrence Kushner
All quotes →Similar quotes
The world is only tolerable because of the empty places in it...when the world's filled up, we'll have to get hold of a star. Any star. Venus, or Mars. Get hold of it and leave it empty. Man needs an empty space somewhere for his spirit to rest in.
Doris LessingRead
I think that inside every adult is the heart of a child. We just gradually convince ourselves that we have to act more like adults.
Shigeru MiyamotoRead
The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.
Gene RoddenberryRead
It is the message, not the man, which is important to the Sufis.
Idries ShahRead
If the end of the twentieth century can be characterized by futurism, the twenty-first can be defined by presentism.
Douglas RushkoffRead
Like most modern people, I don't believe in prophecy or magic and then spend half my time practicing it.
John SteinbeckRead