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Kosho Uchiyama

Kosho Uchiyama Biography

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“Whatever way you put it, I am here only because my world is here. When I took my first breath, my world was born with me. When I die, my world dies with me. In other words, I wasn't born into a world that was already here before me, nor do I live simply as one individual among millions of other individuals, nor do I leave everything behind to live on after me. People live thinking of themselves as members of a group or society. However, this isn't really true. Actually, I bring my own world into existence, live it out, and take it with me when I die.”

PeopleThinkingWorldWayFirstsDiesIndividualBornMy OwnBehindsExistenceMillionsGroupsMembersBreathsReally TrueLive SimplyMy Own World
Book:Opening the Hand of Thought: Approach to Zen
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“The first undeniable reality is that every living thing dies, and the second undeniable reality is that we suffer throughout our lives because we don't understand death. The truth derived from these two points is the importance of clarifying the matter of birth and death. The third undeniable reality is that all of the thoughts and feelings that arise in my head simply arise haphazardly, by chance. And the conclusion we can derive from that is not to hold on to all that comes up in our head. That is what we are doing when we sit zazen.”

FirstsTwoMatterFeelingsRealityTruthDeathSufferingDiesChanceOur LivesBirthThirdsImportanceCome UpAriseConclusionLiving ThingsThoughts And FeelingsBirth And DeathClarifying
Book:Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice
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