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We like to believe that Oriental ashrams and Western monasteries are havens of refuge from the evils and sins of worldly life. But we find in actuality that even in such sacred and dedicated precincts, human beings are still weak, petty, mean, selfish, envious, and hostile. The embodied nobility and goodness we would like to meet are met only in single occasional individuals, who may be met in the world just as likely as in these places.

-- Notebooks Category 3: Relax and Retreat > Chapter 4 : Retreat Centres > # 185