The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.
Rabindranath TagoreRead
Nirvana is not the blowing out of the candle. It is the extinguishing of the flame because day is come.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Nirvana signifies a state of enlightenment rather than the end of existence.
In this quote, Tagore conveys the idea that achieving Nirvana is not merely about annihilating desires or escaping suffering, akin to the blowing out of a candle. Instead, it symbolizes a transformative understanding, representing the natural progression into a higher state of consciousness as one moves into the light of day, suggesting that enlightenment is a continuation rather than an end.
Themes
NirvanaEnlightenmentTransformationLightExistence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on spiritual growth during a meditation workshop.
More from Rabindranath Tagore
All quotes βMusic fills the infinite between two souls. This has been muffled by the mist of our daily habits.
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True deliverance of man is the deliverance from Avidya i.e. ignorance. It is not in destroying anything that is positive and real, for that cannot be possible, but that which is negative, which obstructs our vision of truth.
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The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
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If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
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To be outspoken is easy when you do not wait to speak the complete truth.
Rabindranath TagoreRead
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