To have a ‘self’ means we are self-centered. Being self-centered–and therefore opposing ourselves to external things–we are anxious and worried about ourselves. We bristle quickly when the external environment opposes us; we are easily upset. And being self-centered, we are often confused. This is how most of us experience our lives.
~Charlotte Joko Beck, Everyday Zen
My deepest gratitude for the life of Joko Beck; she has had a profound effect on my life, a tough-as-leather teacher, truly one of the least self-deluded people I have met on this road.
crow with no mouth 