Wu Hsin writes in packed nuggets of wisdom with multiple interpretations. These ideas resonated the most with me.
My Notes
Attachment to beliefs is a great shackle.
The mind creates problems. The solution lies in not trusting the content of your thoughts.
Sleep is both rest for the body and rest away from the body.
We chase after desired things rather than finding the source of our desires.
Time renders important things unimportant.
We can only see ourselves in mirrors, but no such apparatus exists for our minds. Other people see and know our minds in ways we can’t.
Concepts compel you to see things in a prescribed manner.
The greatest evil is inattention. In other words, a lack of deliberateness.
Suffering consists of a lot of I statements. I feel this way. I am this way. I am this story. I am this body. Removing the I is a path toward freedom.
Four questions:
How many more failed strategies
Will you undertake
To gain what you want?
What do you want?
What will getting what you want
Give you?
Who wants to know this?
Taking the time to answer these questions is difficult. I hardly ever make it to the first one. Leverage the moments when you feel fresh to take on these problems and/or remind yourself of your answers.
Failure causes pain, which demands attention and brings people out of their trances.
Stop demanding something from the world. The way we imagine the world and the way it is has few overlaps.
Removing ignorance is more important than attaining knowledge.
A ripple appears in a lake. Those who notice become interested in the ripple and forget the lake. Distractions command attention, while the background remains more important.
The same words can resonate with different people. These words are then interpreted as wise or dumb. The hearer is what has changed, not the words.
Humans often act like thirsty fish. The ability to quench discomfort, desire, and seeking never lies outside our grasp, only our awareness.