“When much in the woods as a little girl, I was told that the snake
would bite me, that I might pick a poisonous flower, or goblins kidnap me,
but I went along and met no one but angels.”
Emily Dickenson

“Hikers know that there are no passable roads in a virgin forest.
However, a road will open up when you pull away the grass, thorns and wisteria.
Swimmers know that there are no paths in the water, but as you swim you will create a pathway.
Cultivation is similar.
You only need to get on the path and walk and you will create your own path.
The roads walked by the Ch’an patriarchs are theirs, not yours.
You must depend on yourself to open up your own road.”

-Ch’an Master Sheng-yen, from Dharma Drum