What the word 'Sensei' means

"In your study of Karate, no one will be more important to you than your teacher, your sensei. The word is made up of two ideograms, sen, which means 'ahead' or 'precede' and sei, which means 'life'. Put together they create a new word that means 'one who is ahead of you in life'. Your sensei, your teacher, is your elder and is deserving of respect.''

(''The Empty Hand, A KARATE WORKBOOK by Rui Umezawa, WEATHERHILL- New York - Tokyo 2001)

The Trickster

 "From the furthest Eastern clime

  Came the Ass in olden time,

  Comely, sturdy for the road,

  Fit to bear a heavy load.

Sing then loudly master Ass,

Let the tempting tidbit pass:

You shall have no lack of hay

And of oats find good supply.

Say Amen, Amen, good ass,

Now you've had your fill of game;

Ancient paths are left behind:

Sing Amen with gladsome mind.''

(Tertillian, Apologetica adversus gentes. From the book ''FOUR ARCHETYPES'' by C.G. JUNG. 1969 Princeton University Press)

The Tao and the monarch

''The ruler who wants to be above the people must speak of himself as below them. If he wants to be ahead of the people, he must keep himself behind them. Thus when the sage is above, the people do not feel him as a burden; When he is ahead, the people do not feel him as a hindrance."

(ALAN WATTS, ''NATURE, MAN AND WOMAN'')

A stage of growth

"Beyond the collective consciousness of humanity there is the all-embracing ocean of Universal Intelligence. Our evolution, taking place within the limitations of human intelligence, in order to reach the realm of Wholeness, must transcend the frontiers of its own past. The human dimension, which is the divine limitation, merely represents a stage of growth of the Spirit in its expansion towards the Supreme Understanding."

(''Enlightenment: Beyond Traditions'', by Aziz Kristof and Houman Emami, 1999)