The size of the place that one becomes a member of is limited only by the size of one’s heart.

You run into people who want to write poetry who don't want to read anything in the tradition. That's like wanting to be a builder but not finding out what different kinds of wood you use.

A reading is a kind of communion. The poet articulates the semi-known for the tribe.

The mercy of the West has been social revolution; the mercy of the East has been individual insight into the basic self/void.

What is any religion? A little ritual, a little superstition, and some magic. It's not a strictly spiritual affair; it has psychological roles to fulfill. You might not want it to be a religion based on your own experience but that's like wanting to clean up your dreams

Zen aims at freedom but its practice is disciplined.

Why should the peculiarities of human consciousness be the narrow standard by which other creatures are judged?