On effort
Why capable people stall
Talent is rarely the missing piece. Attention is. A leaking attention turns ten years of work into ten years of starting over — and the leak is almost always invisible to the one leaking.
Poetry · Readings · Notes
Wisdom
What we write, what we read and what we keep returning to. Take whatever is useful; leave the rest.
Motivation is not neededfor the real goal.
The wall
Words worth carrying
Lines Suri has written — from the talks, the circles and the notebooks.
Motivation is not neededfor the real goal.
One honest question, asked out loud,is already the beginning of the answer.
Stillness is not the opposite of ambition.It is what keeps ambition honest.
Success is what the world can measure.Samadhi is what remains when it stops measuring.
Business, politics and many other professions —prioritize peace.
You cannot lead anyone furtherthan you have travelled yourself.
Do the work with your whole force.Hold the result with an open hand.
Discipline is what love looks likeafter the excitement has gone.
Ambition without awarenessis speed without a road.
Rest is not the reward at the end of the work.It is part of the work.
Notes
Short pieces from the talks
On desire
Your dream, or theirs?
Much of what we chase was handed to us before we could examine it. Sit quietly for one week and ask, of each ambition, whether you would still want it if nobody ever knew you achieved it.
On silence
The first ten minutes
The beginning of every sitting is noisy. That noise is not failure — it is the sediment rising. Stay long enough and the water clears on its own.
The reading room
Six books we keep lending out
Read slowly. One page held all week does more than a whole volume swallowed.
Bijak of Kabir
Kabir
Blunt, funny and merciless with anyone hiding behind ritual. Read two dohas aloud and let them do their work.
The Yoga Sutras
Patanjali
One hundred and ninety-six short lines that map the whole of the inner journey. The second sutra is the entire book.
Ashtavakra Gita
Ancient India
The most uncompromising text on the self. Not a technique in sight — only the repeated reminder that you are already free.
The Book of Secrets
On the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra
One hundred and twelve doorways into meditation. Only one of them needs to be yours.
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu
For anyone who has been pushing too hard for too long. The chapter on water is enough for a lifetime.
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
Collected koans
Short, sharp stories that refuse to be understood by the intellect — read one, then close the book.
Success is what the world can measure.Samadhi is what remains when it stops measuring.
— Suri
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