Isaac of Ninevah

This is probably one of the philosophical thing i have ever read that actually made sense to me. I agree with the first paragraph and i believe that most people who have been in love could agree as well sometimes their are those relationship that start off so great and it seems like everything is just perfect then when the other persons true colors come out, you realize that it's not all its cracked up to be. On the other hand there are the great relationships that start out great and a few years down the road, its still going just as strong as when it started.

I also really enjoyed the second paragraph i think that it made a really valid point on religion. When you trust god with  with your whole heart and something goes wrong you don't switch gear and start begging god for his help, you can just trust that you are in gods hands and everything will go the way god planned it.

Kuei-Shan

A Zen master is compared to the clam as soon as she open her her mouth you can see her intestines. I liked this statement and would like to meet someone who followed standard such as this these days. Someone who is completely open and never really holds anything back. Honesty with herself and honesty to herself. "Every hour of the day, what he hears and sees are ordinary sights and sounds, but nothing is distorted.  This is a person who i belive can take everything as it is and you who you could always trust, they are not distorted by different people and goes along whith what they believe is right. These are some good qualities that are preety hard to find in people these days.

Hugh of St. Victor

I had to read this one a couple time before i really picked anything up. but i believe that i did get something out of it.  "In spiritual matters, when something is regarded as the highest, this doesn't mean that it is located above the heavens, but rather that it is the inmost or the most intimate at all." then it goes on to say that to ascend to god is to  enter oneself, and not only to go deeper and deeper and pass beyond oneself. I like to picture this as the way in which we ascend to god as well. It is not some magical thing in which we are taking to heaven but really just are at peace with ourselves, inside and outside our bodies mentally and physically.

Symeon the new theologian

This writting made a lot of sense to me, it was short and sweet and made you think but i think the point still got across. "When a man walks into the sea up to his knees or waist, he can see the water all around him." i took this to be referencing religion and it's telling me once you get into religion and get a taste of what it is about you start to get surrounded by it, and your life can be enveloped with it. "But when he dives into the water, he can no longer see anything outside, and he knows that his whole body is in the water." I took this as someone who lives their live following religion, they realize that it is a part of them and that their religion is surrounding them.

Johannes Scotus Erigena

"I rise to heaven i meet you, if i lie down in hell you are there. this interpretation of god is somewhat how i like to picture god yet what i have usually heard in the past is a bit different . Sure there is the notion that god is this larger than life being who will be waiting for you in heaven, at least that is what i used to veiw god as. But the picture that this reading paints of god is of almost more of a spirt that lives withing all people, and every place that person goes that person will be in god's hands.The next portion of this reading was a bit hard for me to grasp "We ought not to understnd God and creation as two things distinct from each other, but as one and the same. But after giving it some thought it is just making the same point that the first part is talking about. God is the creator and yet god live withing the creation, god is all beings and god is in all that was created.

Huang-Po

Mind can't be used to seek mind; if it is, even after millions of eons have gone by, the search will not be over. This statement made the best sense when i was trying to understand this reading, and the way i perceived it was that. You cannot try to use your mind to search somewhere else for a state of mind, and in this case it's about Tao teachings. but instead look within yourself for the answer. Huang-po makes an interesting example of this when he talks about a warrior wearing a pearl on his head and it was his goal to find this pearl, but he searched elsewhere. If someone were to point out the pearl, this soldier would realize that it had been there all along. I think this story holds true to a person trying to better themselves. Instead of looking all around the world for other peoples examples just look inside of self and you should find an answer.

Novalis

“There is only one temple in the world and that is the human body.” I have heard this statement a few in my live and have never really given much thought to it, but I think it is pretty interesting. I think that in some way people do think about their body as a temple, but that it lead to the wrong thing. I think it is good to be body conscious but it can be very easy to take things too far. People should treat there body is if it was a temple, by putting good things into it, and by keeping it in peak physical condition. And when people don’t take care of there temple by not keeping it in shape or by constantly putting bad things in to it, it will deteriorate. Every one should also feel at home in their body mentally and physically, when someone is alone with their thoughts that should always be peaceful.
“When you understand how to love one thing then you also understand how best to love everything.” I gave this statement some thought and still don’t know if my interpretation came close to what this writer was talking about. When one person is able to love another living being, I believe that you understand how to love all beings. I find it hard to believe that anybody in this world has no love for some other being but if they cannot find love for one being it will be impossible for them to find love for anything.