“It is no accident that the most revered sages are dead. They aren’t around to correct our misguided notions, to change their teachings, or even to make mistakes that might mitigate our reverence. Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Lao Tzu––how many of us are actually devoted to the wisdom that they embodied? Or have we made them mere screens up on which we project our own ideas?….All teachings are mere references. The true experience is living your own life.”

~Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Daily Meditations