Mickey Patel

Most of us want to reach an end; we want to be able to say, ‘I have arrived at self-knowledge, and I am happy.’ But it is not like that at all. If you can look at yourself without condemning what you see, without comparing yourself with somebody else, without wishing to be more beautiful or more virtuous; if you can just observe what you are and

Socially, we’re told, “Go work out. Go look good.” That’s a multi-player competitive game. Other people can see if I’m doing a good job or not. We’re told, “Go make money. Go buy a big house.” Again, external multiplayer competitive game. Training yourself to be happy is completely internal. There is no external progress, no external validation.

When people give opinions, add a question mark. If they say, “Immigration is bad,” change it to, “Immigration is bad?” Let the questions drift away, unanswered.

Another one is I only believe in peer relationships. I don’t believe in hierarchical relationships. I don’t want to be above anybody, and I don’t want to be below anybody. If I can’t treat someone like a peer and if they can’t treat me like peer, I just don’t want to interact with them.

What you’re left with in that neutral state is not neutrality. I think people believe neutrality would be a very bland existence. No, this is the existence little children live. If you look at little children, on balance, they’re generally pretty happy because they are really immersed in the environment and the moment, without any thought of how it

When friendship is settled, you must trust; before friendship is formed, you must pass judgment.

M: You see, my student, when a man lives As his personality, he is limited. And something within him recognizes that his personality is limited. And thus he must say and do things in order to make up for the deficiencies that he feels himself to possess. S: I see. M: Yes. In the midst of others, he will find himself needing to say things that pad