Sunday, May 03, 2009

Einstein on Self and the Mystical

"A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive."
-Albert Einstein, 1954

"The most beautiful and most profound experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their primitive forms – this knowledge, this feeling is at the centre of true religiousness."
-Albert Einstein – "The Merging of Spirit and Science"

I think I may have posted these quotes before at some stage, but worth revisiting.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful quote from A Midsummer Night's Dream on the Creator. "He gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name" Beautiful advaita summation!

jeronimus said...

Thanks for the quote. There is so much depth in Shakespeare - I think he must have been a sage in a previous life.

Todd said...

Thank you for the wonderful quotes! What a happy find to discover your blog! I will be back to explore more!

jeronimus said...

Thanks Todd. Hope you enjoy your visits.