“A fish swims in the ocean, and no matter how far it swims there is no end to the water. A bird flies in the sky, and no matter how far it flies there is no end to the air. However the fish and the bird have never left their elements. Thus each of them totally covers its full range, and each of them totally experiences its realm... Know that water is life and air is life. The bird is life and the fish is life. Life must be the bird and life must be the fish... practice, enlightenment and people are like this.”
Quote by Dogen
Author
Dogen
Dogen was a Japanese Zen master born in January 1200 and died on September 22, 1253. He was the founder of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism in Japan and had a profound influence on the development of Zen Buddhism. Dogen advocated 'Zen is life,' emphasizing the close connection between Zen practice and everyday life, and his thoughts had a wide impact on Japanese culture. more