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The Outer Path: Finding My Way in Tibet
The author describes his travels through Tibet
- GenresTravel
200 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 17, 2008
Quotes to remember:
"I am driven by restlessness and my desire to devour more and more of the world. I run here, I run there, but go nowhere. Every day my body is in a different place, but I don't know if my mind and my heart have traveled as well. My journal is growing, but am I?" page 14
"I'm antsy to go and have to keep reminding myself, 'Don't just do something. Sit there!'" page 41
"Of course we tell everyone we're married (they all ask), and the people are completely perplexed when we tell them we have no children. They also want to know who's taking care of our sheep, chickens, and yaks while we're away." page 54
"Further down the valley I came upon an entire village harvesting barley. The men sang while the women worked. Khampa men have it pretty good. They are in charge of drinking tea, talking politics, looking handsome, and acting macho. All this keeps them quite busy, so the women take care of the heavy labor and hard work." page 57
"One minute there was a living being and the next minute there was only a pile of inert matter. I stood there, staring at the carcass, and knew my inability to fully understand death was the cause of my inability to fully understand life." page 95
"Let me pray not to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to confront it.
Let me not crave in anxious fears to be saved, but hope for the patience to win my freedom. - Tagore" page 115
"Independent Western tourists have been coming to Kailas for the last couple of years, but most of the pilgrims here now are drokpa families with little children and herds of yaks and sheep in tow. They bring their animals along as an act of compassion to assist the beasts in obtaining a higher rebirth in the future." page 118
"...I knew that to develop insight, wisdom, and liberation, to simply complete the kora - footsteps on the outer path - was not enough. I remembered advice from the Dhammapada, 'There is no path in the sky, and a monk must find the inner path.'" page 124
"I used to idolize the crazy saints and mad monks who were supposedly so enlightened they didn't need to follow ordinary standards of morality. But I see now that a foundation of moral behavior is essential if I am to seriously cultivate compassion and wisdom." page 132
"I had already decided it was time to travel on my own again. Alone, I'm more apt to submerge myself in the local culture and to meditate. Traveling, I've found, is similar to the spiritual path. No matter how good or enlightened my companions are, the path is necessarily a solitary one. No one can make my load lighter. No one can walk with me. No one can tell me when I have arrived." page 134
"I am beginning to wonder if it is better to be a comfortable captive or a weary and worn free man. Where is this freedom I'm searching for?" page 167
"The Chinese specialize in zen koan bureaucracy. If there is any meaning to be found in their methods, it is beyond the scope of the rational mind." page 174
"I am driven by restlessness and my desire to devour more and more of the world. I run here, I run there, but go nowhere. Every day my body is in a different place, but I don't know if my mind and my heart have traveled as well. My journal is growing, but am I?" page 14
"I'm antsy to go and have to keep reminding myself, 'Don't just do something. Sit there!'" page 41
"Of course we tell everyone we're married (they all ask), and the people are completely perplexed when we tell them we have no children. They also want to know who's taking care of our sheep, chickens, and yaks while we're away." page 54
"Further down the valley I came upon an entire village harvesting barley. The men sang while the women worked. Khampa men have it pretty good. They are in charge of drinking tea, talking politics, looking handsome, and acting macho. All this keeps them quite busy, so the women take care of the heavy labor and hard work." page 57
"One minute there was a living being and the next minute there was only a pile of inert matter. I stood there, staring at the carcass, and knew my inability to fully understand death was the cause of my inability to fully understand life." page 95
"Let me pray not to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to confront it.
Let me not crave in anxious fears to be saved, but hope for the patience to win my freedom. - Tagore" page 115
"Independent Western tourists have been coming to Kailas for the last couple of years, but most of the pilgrims here now are drokpa families with little children and herds of yaks and sheep in tow. They bring their animals along as an act of compassion to assist the beasts in obtaining a higher rebirth in the future." page 118
"...I knew that to develop insight, wisdom, and liberation, to simply complete the kora - footsteps on the outer path - was not enough. I remembered advice from the Dhammapada, 'There is no path in the sky, and a monk must find the inner path.'" page 124
"I used to idolize the crazy saints and mad monks who were supposedly so enlightened they didn't need to follow ordinary standards of morality. But I see now that a foundation of moral behavior is essential if I am to seriously cultivate compassion and wisdom." page 132
"I had already decided it was time to travel on my own again. Alone, I'm more apt to submerge myself in the local culture and to meditate. Traveling, I've found, is similar to the spiritual path. No matter how good or enlightened my companions are, the path is necessarily a solitary one. No one can make my load lighter. No one can walk with me. No one can tell me when I have arrived." page 134
"I am beginning to wonder if it is better to be a comfortable captive or a weary and worn free man. Where is this freedom I'm searching for?" page 167
"The Chinese specialize in zen koan bureaucracy. If there is any meaning to be found in their methods, it is beyond the scope of the rational mind." page 174
July 8, 2012
I first heard of the author Jim Reynolds at a college reunion. He went to my alma mater (not while I was there) and presented a session. He was warm, funny, and wise. I was fascinated by the thought of someone who was similar enough to me to go to the same small, liberal arts school, and then become a Buddhist monk. So I hunted down a copy of his book to get more of his story. I was glad I did.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews