A few weeks back I posted a quote from Mark Twain that I found provocative. This week, an exploration of a quote I came across a few years ago:
I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man’s being unable to sit still in a room.—Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662), Pensées, no. 72
Sounds like a case for the necessity of meditation practice.
To get a little context on this quote of his I did some quick research on Pascal and his Pensées. Wikipedia tells me he adhered to Jansenism, a branch of Catholic Gallican thought that emphasized original sin and human depravity. And indeed, after a brief survey of his other “Thoughts” it is apparent they aren’t terribly cheery.
With that in mind, Pascal’s quote underscores for me one of the greatest benefits Buddhism offers the world: the wisdom that it is possible for man to still in a room and thereby do less evil, and the instructions on how one may do so. Granted, the quick take above on Pascal or Jansenism surely doesn’t do them justice. But I wonder nonetheless if, had Pascal been introduced to meditation practice, he would perhaps have revised his assessment of mankind accordingly.