. . . the fools of this world prefer to look for sages far away. They don't believe that the wisdom of their own mind is the sage . . . the sutras say, "Mind is the teaching." But people of no understanding don't believe in their own mind or that by understanding this teaching they can become a sage. They prefer to look for distant knowledge and long for things in space, buddha-images, light, incense, and colors. They fall prey to falsehood and lose their minds to insanity.
Calvin is named after John Calvin (1509-1564), a leader of the Reformation. John Calvin was well-known for expressing his opinions in a most lucid, logical and convincing manner. Six-year old Calvin is similarly eloquent in the expression of his opinions and attitudes, though his opinions differ greatly. Although Calvin is a six-year old, his contemplations and observations of the world around him are often extremely insightful. Calvin's curiosity and imagination often get him into trouble. He's not really a brat, just an interesting mixture of immaturity and innate wisdom. Hobbes is named after Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), a philosopher who had a low opinion of human nature. Hobbes, Calvin's tiger friend, is a bit more upbeat but seems to possess an opinion of humans similar to his namesake. It seems that one of the only things Hobbes does which bother Calvin (beside frequent pouncings) is the enjoyment he derives from gloating about being a tiger. Bill Watterson on Hobbes' "split personality": "The so-called gimmick of my strip - the two versions of Hobbes - is sometimes misunderstood. I don't think of Hobbes as a doll that miraculously comes to life when Calvin's around. Neither do I think of Hobbes as the product of Calvin's imagination. The nature of Hobbes's reality doesn't interest me, and each story goes out of its way to avoid resolving the issue. Calvin sees Hobbes one way, and everyone else sees Hobbes another way. I show two versions of reality and each make complete sense to the participant who sees it. I think that's how life works."
Some realize the Self within them through the practice of meditation, some by the path of wisdom, and others by selfless service. Others may not know these paths; but hearing and following the instructions of an illumined teacher, they too go beyond death.
(Those who follow the path of spiritual wisdom) see that where there is One, that One is me (God); where there are many, all are me; they see my face everywhere.
In this world there are two orders of being: the perishable, separate creature and the changeless spirit. But beyond these there is another, the supreme Self, the eternal Lord, who enters into the entire cosmos and supports it from within. I am that supreme Self, praised by the scriptures as beyond the changing and the changeless. Those who see in me that supreme Self see truly. They have found the source of all wisdom, . . . and they worship me with all their heart.
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavor after a worthy manner of life.
Between the amateur and the professional . . . there is a difference not only in degree but in kind. The skillful man is, within the function of his skill, a different integration, a different nervous and muscular and psychological organization. . . . A tennis player or a watchmaker or an airplane pilot is an automatism but he is also criticism and wisdom.
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