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Quote by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi

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The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo

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Kosho Uchiyama Roshi

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“Since beginners can only remain in contact with the object of observation for short periods, initially one should meditate in brief sessions even eighteen times a day; in due course stability will be achieved of its own accord, at which time the session can be lengthened. It is important not to try at first to meditate for long periods; otherwise, upon sight of the meditation cushion, one will feel nausea and laziness. The session should be left while it is going well, when one still feels that it would go well if continued.”

MeditationBuddhismZazenShamathaZhinay
Book:Meditation on Emptiness
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“If he hadn’t become a Buddhist monk, Sawaki Roshi would have been successful in a worldly sense in business, politics, or the military. Instead, he devoted his life to wholeheartedly practicing Dogen Zenji’s just sitting, or shikantaza, which according to him was good for nothing. For him, social climbing in pursuit of fame and profit was meaningless. The Japanese expression for “waste” is bonifuru, which means “sacrifice,” “lose all,” or “ruin.” So when we say he wasted his life, we use the expression in a paradoxical way—like saying that zazen is good for nothing.”

MeditationZen BuddhismZazenContemplative PrayerShikantaza
Book:The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo
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“Just stick to the ordinary circumstances without labeling them ordinary. Be open to them with no desire to change them in any way. They are, in fact, already magical and miraculous. They are the revelation of the Absolute. The mountains, for instance, are already miracles. We don’t need a little angel on top of the mountain to make it more miraculous, so don’t make one up.”

MindfulnessNondualityDharmaGospelRevelationOrdinarinessSacrament Of The Present Moment
Book:The Perfume of Silence
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