Czeslaw Milosz Quotes

Let there be as little materialism as possible, with the maximum of spirituality.

The sage seeks freedom from desire. He does not collect precious things. He learns not to hold on to ideas. He brings men back to what they have lost.

One has to go beyond the mind to experience the spiritual bliss of desirelessness.

The longer I live, the more I feel that true repose consists in 'renouncing' one's own self, by which I mean making up one's mind to admit that there is no importance whatever in being 'happy' or 'unhappy' in the usual meaning of the words.

No expectations. Ask nothing, expect nothing and accept everything, and life is very well.

Let your mind wander in simplicity, blend your spirit with the vastness, follow along with things the way they are, and make no room for personal views-then the world will be governed.

Be grateful as your deeds become less and less associated with your name, as your feet ever more lightly tread the earth.

Egolessness is contentment.

The sage desires no desire, does not value rare treasures, learns without learning, recovers what people have left behind.

A religious person is a desireless person.

Do not seek fame. Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing. Be empty, that is all.

The real power of the Buddha was that he had so much love. He saw people trapped in their notions of small separate self, feeling guilty or proud of that self, and he offered revolutionary teachings that resounded like a lion's roar, like a great rising tide, helping people to wake up and break free from the prison of ignorance.

Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature.

He who would be serene and pure needs but one thing, detachment.

Contemplation is an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows. It is the absolute opposite of addiction, consumerism or any egoic consciousness.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.

My perspective is that you should be IN the world, but not OF the world.

The Dalai Lama was once asked for his favorite chant, and he said it was better not to have a favorite anything, which I think is a great thought.

Materialism is the only form of distraction from true bliss.

The thing the Buddhists and the Sufis have in common is a belief that religious certainties are destructive.

Desire nothing, give up all desires and be happy.

If you first fortify yourself with the true knowledge of the Universal Self, and then live in the midst of wealth and worldliness, surely they will in no way affect you.

The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.

One thing I like about Zen. It doesn't believe in achievement.