You should inquire deeply and directly into the distress of the mind and find out what has been created and who is the self that is suffering. Without this understanding, you can’t develop clarity and the ability to help others. A person may be expert at undoing knots, but if he never sees that there is a knot in front of him, how will he undo it? Without clear and direct looking, you will be locked into time and space and unable to free yourself from the material world.

Buddha Shakyamuni

Surangama Sutra

quoted in the book The Wisdom of the Buddha: Heart Teachings in His Own Words


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