"Be ye lamps unto yourselves"

Brad Warner is a zen writer I really respect. Mostly because he doesn't seem to give a shit about zen or whether you believe what he says. He seems to cut straight to the heart of the matter in a way readable to young 20-somethings like myself. He played bass in a punk band in the 80's then made monster movies in Japan before becoming a zen monk.

Here's an excerpt from his book 'Hardcore Zen':

"The last thing Buddha told his followers before he died was this: "Question authority". Actually, if you look it up, you might see his last words translated as "Be ye lamps unto yourselves". A lot of guys who translated this kind of stuff really got into the King James Bible-sounding language. But the point is, a lamp is something you use to guide yourself in the dark. "Be lamps unto yourselves" means be your own master, be your own lamp. Don't believe something because your hero, your teacher, or even Buddha himself said it. Look for yourself. See for yourself, with your own eyes. "Be lamps unto yourselves" is another way of saying "Question authority".

edit: I found some interesting Brad Warner lectures on youtube:
BAYUP