"We are, the great spiritual writers insist, most fully ourselves when we give ourselves away, and it is egotism that holds us back from that transcendent experience that has been called God, Nirvana, Brahman, or the Tao. What I now realize, from my study of the different religious traditions, is that a disciplined attempt to go beyond the ego brings about a state of ecstasy. Indeed, it is in itself ekstasis. Theologians in all the great faiths have devised all kinds of myths to show that this type of kenosis, or self-emptying, is found in the life of God itself. They do not do this because it sounds edifying, but because this is the way that human nature seems to work. We are most creative and sense other possibilities that transcend our ordinary experience when we leave ourselves behind."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Non-fiction authors from EnglandWomen authors from EnglandFeminists from EnglandWomen academics from EnglandChristian nuns
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Karen Armstrong
44 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Karen Armstrong →
Related Quotes
"He was simply a nadhir, a messenger with a warning, and should approach the Quraysh humbly, avoid provocation, and be…"
"Muslims respect the pacifist message of Jesus (even though the Qu'ran points out that Christians can be very belliger…"
"Far from being the father of jihad, Mohammad was a peacemaker, who risked his life and nearly lost the loyalty of his…"
"Deeds that seemed unimportant at the time would prove to have been momentous; a tiny act of selfishness and unkindnes…"
"The word qur’an means “recitation.” It was not designed for private perusal, but like most scriptures, it was meant t…"
"Monotheism is essentially inimical to tribalism: it demands that a people unite in a single community."
"The new radical Islam is not simply inspired by the hatred of the West, however. Nor is it in any sense a homogeneous…"
"All truly creative thought is in some sense intuitive; it demands a leap forward into the dark world of uncreated rea…"
"He was decisive and wholehearted in everything he did, so intent non the task at hand that he never looked over his s…"
"There are some forms of religion that must make God weep. There are some forms of religion that are bad, just as ther…"