--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I find difficult about Buddhism…" description: "\"What I find difficult about Buddhism, though it is also one of its significant fascinations, is the focus on what is immediately and physically present..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/quentin-s-crisp-4149_buddhism_what-i-find-difficult-about-buddhism-tho_2763448.jpg" --- # What I find difficult about Buddhism, though it is also… ![“What I find difficult about Buddhism, though it is also one of its significant fascinations, is the focus on what is immediately and physically present. To me, this seems a denial of the imagination, and the imagination is very important to me.” quote by Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/quentin-s-crisp-4149_buddhism_what-i-find-difficult-about-buddhism-tho_2763448.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/quentin-s-crisp-4149_buddhism_what-i-find-difficult-about-buddhism-tho_2763448.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd7/quentin-s-crisp-4149_buddhism_what-i-find-difficult-about-buddhism-tho_2763448.jpg) > “What I find difficult about Buddhism, though it is also one of its significant fascinations, is the focus on what is immediately and physically present. To me, this seems a denial of the imagination, and the imagination is very important to me.” [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Buddhism emphasizes present‑moment experience, which can feel limiting to those who value imagination and creative thinking. **In simple terms:** Buddhism focuses on the present, seeming to restrict imagination. Key Takeaway Balance mindfulness with creative imagination. Themes philosophy mindfulness creativity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - artistic work - meditation retreats - education - creative writing Key Concepts present‑moment awareness imagination spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - How can imagination coexist with present‑moment focus? - Does Buddhism truly deny creative thought? A Different Perspective Some argue that imagination can be cultivated within mindfulness practices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhism Significant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism-significant-3186734/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Denial Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial-imagination-3186735/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-buddhism-3186733/) [Fascination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination/) [Fascinations Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascinations-focus-3186736/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Significant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significant/) ## Related quotes > [I began researching and writing what I intended as a book-length essay entitled Fascination and Liberation, exploring the question of whether there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-began-researching-and-writing-what-i-intended-as-a-book-length/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [The research reading I did for Fascination and Liberation included some Jung, and I noticed that he had a similar impression of Buddhism to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/the-research-reading-i-did-for-fascination-and-liberation-included/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This is part of the fundamental character of Buddhism that I find problematic - that it is not interested in anything. Hence the 'Fascination'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-part-of-the-fundamental-character-of-buddhism-that-i-find/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [My personal fascination with the power of the crowd has been growing: Exactly what can a 'crowd' accomplish? We know crowds can raise billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/my-personal-fascination-with-the-power-of-the-crowd-has-been-growing/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-fascination-with-computer-models-is-something-i-understand-very/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [I love all animals. I have a fascination with fish, birds, whales - sentient life - insects, reptiles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-love-all-animals-i-have-a-fascination-with-fish-birds-whales/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/bringing-nature-into-the-classroom-can-kindle-a-fascination-and/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [The population at large is neither 'ordinary' or 'normal'. They seem to be bound together by a collective ignorance of themselves and what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-nilsen/the-population-at-large-is-neither-ordinary-or-normal-they-seem-to-be/) [Dennis Nilsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-nilsen/) > [There's a lot of Google fascination out there and we share it, and we're going to compete, we're going to compete very, very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/there-s-a-lot-of-google-fascination-out-there-and-we-share-it-and-we/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [“The fascination of the abomination—you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-fascination-of-the-abomination-you-know/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Coming to terms with our true natures and who we really are has always been a fascination to humans. I know it fascinates me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-jackman/coming-to-terms-with-our-true-natures-and-who-we-really-are-has/) [Hugh Jackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-jackman/) > [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [I've always had a fascination with vampires. It's not that I'm exactly fascinated with the dark side. It's the human struggle with it. How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/i-ve-always-had-a-fascination-with-vampires-it-s-not-that-i-m-exactly/) [Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) ## More by Quentin S. Crisp > [I have a sense of them being Easter religions, for some reason. Christianity, of course, is a mystery religion, too, and I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-have-a-sense-of-them-being-easter-religions-for-some-reason/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ If we do want to do that \[ colonise space to survive, \], then vacuous materialism is not going to be enough for us. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/if-we-do-want-to-do-that-colonise-space-to-survive-then-vacuous/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I seemed to recall some words from an old Zen master, something like, "My Zen cuts down mountains." My rejection of Buddhism was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-seemed-to-recall-some-words-from-an-old-zen-master-something-like/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ This is the strange thing about existing in time. As \[Philip\] Larkin puts it, "truly, though our element is time, we are not used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-the-strange-thing-about-existing-in-time-as-philip-larkin/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I've never been baptised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-ve-never-been-baptised/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [It would be hard to say that exactly, but antinatalism is a reality in my life, not just an interesting idea. I can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/it-would-be-hard-to-say-that-exactly-but-antinatalism-is-a-reality-in/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[william\] Burroughs, incidentally, took up the slogan that we are "Here to go", which contradicts the tendency in Eastern mysticism to advocate staying where… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/william-burroughs-incidentally-took-up-the-slogan-that-we-are-here-to/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [As children in the seventies we were told about nebulous 'strangers'. By definition, we didn't know who these strangers were, and we didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/as-children-in-the-seventies-we-were-told-about-nebulous-strangers-by/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This is part of the fundamental character of Buddhism that I find problematic - that it is not interested in anything. Hence the 'Fascination'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-is-part-of-the-fundamental-character-of-buddhism-that-i-find/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I also remember a line from a song by Smog \[Bill Callahan\], which seems to describe the experience of a town-dweller moving to the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-also-remember-a-line-from-a-song-by-smog-bill-callahan-which-seems/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [This strong sense of who I am that I've always had, since I was very young, is what makes me write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/this-strong-sense-of-who-i-am-that-i-ve-always-had-since-i-was-very/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I like the concept of an anti-muse, though I'm not quite sure what that is. If there is such a thing in my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-like-the-concept-of-an-anti-muse-though-i-m-not-quite-sure-what/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ I really think \[William\] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-onto-something-here-when-he-said/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [ \[My muse\] is, in fact, a woman of the world, and precisely because of this, hopes that a diversity of cultures will endure, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/my-muse-is-in-fact-a-woman-of-the-world-and-precisely-because-of-this/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I do have a muse. I am not sure how to describe her. She can be very elusive. 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I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. 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After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I find difficult about Buddhism, though it is also one of its significant fascinations, is the focus on what is immediately and physically present. To me, this seems a denial of the imagination, and the imagination is very important to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Quentin S. 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