Damien Keown Quotes & Sayings

Teachings not validated by personal experience are of little value. — Damien Keown

Zen has a pronounced iconoclastic tendency, and regards the study of texts, doctrines, and dogmas as a potential hindrance to spiritual awakening, relying instead on humour, spontaneity, unconventionality, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression to communicate the idea of enlightenment — Damien Keown

Decay is inherent in all things. — Damien Keown

all living creatures are entitled to respect in their own right, not simply because of the utility they may possess for other humans. — Damien Keown

Individuals create themselves through their moral choices. By freely and repeatedly choosing certain sorts of things, an individual shapes their character, and through their character their future. — Damien Keown

Is it necessary to believe in the existence of the six realms and the heavens and hells to be a Buddhist? Not necessarily. It is possible to interpret these as, perhaps, referring to other dimensions of existence, parallel universes, or simply states of mind. — Damien Keown

history has no overall direction or purpose — Damien Keown