Source Text

Zen students know better than most that the only approach vast enough to indicate the immensity of infinity is humble silence. Like stars in the nightsky, we human beings often “shine the most brightly” in a “silent night.”

Communication is also a spiritual art. It “soaks into” even prayer and meditation. It is pervasive, saturating every aspect of our everyday lives. It is not simple coincidence, but a spiritual synchronicity, that “communication” shares two rootwords with “communion.”     More than anything, communication reflects your level of friendliness. But most prefer to use words to “show off” their education. People have always been “snobs” when it comes to proper english. It is not our purpose, with this book, to strengthen or support their position — which is isolating, divisive, and immoral.

This goes simply too far to “follow the rule.” While we should not generally end a sentence with a preposition, and this is thus technically correct, it makes things murky, foggy, and cloudy rather than clearer.

AI Summary

Say What You Mean by Richard Francis presents key insights from the Zen tradition. The 3 passages above capture the essential teachings.

Core Themes:

• [To be expanded]

Key Passages: Highlights above are particularly representative.

This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.