Browse 1609 quotes about Zen.
“For those who care deeply about Zen and its place in Japan and the world, the challenge is to help define Zen's role creatively lest the tradition get buried under the avalanche of criticism.”
Source: Zen Skin, Zen Marrow: Will the Real Zen Buddhism Please Stand Up?
“Zen has its origin in India and was introduced to China where it united with the thought of Lao-tsu and the realistically oriented world outlook of the Chinese, stressing as it does the value of human labor. Zen further developed by incorporating the Confucian emphasis on etiquette and culture, reaching its zenith in the period from the Tang through the Sung dynasty (618–1279). It was transmitted to Japan in the Kamakura period (1185–1336) where it not only contributed to the disciplining of the spirit of the emotionally prone Japanese people but also deeply influenced the military and fine arts as well as daily life in general.”
Source: The Zen Life
“In the hot climate of South Asia both food and clothing are no problem, since one can sleep almost naked under the trees and sustain oneself by eating wild fruit. In the severe climate of North Asia this is impossible. As the priests in South Asia do not do any manual labor, they are able to make do with only one meal a day, but in China this system is impossible. Even in the collection of regulations of the Zen sect written in the Tang dynasty (618–907) by the Chinese Zen master Pai-chang, provision is made for two daily meals: breakfast, consisting of rice gruel, and lunch, consisting of vegetables and rice. Later on, even an evening meal known as yaku seki (baked sone) came to be tacitly permitted.”
Source: The Zen Life
“By the time of the sixth patriarch, Hui-neng, it is recorded, monks were polishing rice as well as cutting firewood. That is to say, at this time manual labor had become an essential part of Zen training. The Zen master Pai-chang (720–814), whose Ching-kuei (Monastic Regulations) forms the model for Zen communal life, set the example himself for this kind of life by participating in manual labor with the other monks even in his old age. This was in accordance with his famous expression, "If one does not do any work for a day, one should not eat for a day." The Zen goal of living with an "ordinary mind" may be said to have been developed through a life such as this.”
Source: The Zen Life
“The Zen life is not something which remains unchanged in spite of changes in customs, time periods, nationalities, cultures, and traditions. On the contrary, it is exactly in its adaptation to such changes that Zen expresses its creativity. It for this reason that there is room left for new growth on the part of Zen in the present age as well.”
Source: The Zen Life
“A Zen monastery is not a place where just anyone may train, but rather its doors are open to only those who earnestly aspire to study the Way.”
Source: The Zen Life
“The hardest training that takes place in a Zen monastery during the year is known as the rohatsu dai sesshin, an intensive period of Zazen lasting from the first of December to the morning of the eighth, that commemorates the enlightenment of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni. The word "sesshin" means to concentrate one's mind. This is accomplished through day and night practice of zazen and private interviews with the roshi during the week-long period.”
Source: The Zen Life
“The normal daily routine varies somewhat according to the monastery, but, taking Kyoto's Sokoku-ji as an example, the monks schedule generally follows this pattern. The monks rise at 3 A.M., quickly rinse out their mouths with one scoopful of water, wash their faces and immediately begin the morning sutra recitation. Following this they have an opportunity to have a private interview with the roshi; those monks not doing so practice zazen. Breakfast is next, followed by zazen and daily cleaning. On days set aside for them, lectures begin from 7 A.M. in the summer and 8 A.M. in the winter. On days for mendicancy, the monks leave the monastery immediately after the daily cleaning. The midday meal is served at 10 A.M. on lecture days and at 11 A.M. when the monks have been out practicing mendicancy. Following lunch the monks may do zazen individually until 1 P.M., when the manual labor period begins. This manual labor, continuing until 3 P.M. in winter and 4 P.M. in summer, is followed by the evening sutra recitation. The evening meal is eaten at 3:30 P.M. in winter and 4 P.M. in summer. As dusk falls, evening zazen begins, and the monks once more have the opportunity to visit the roshi in his room. The day formally ends at 8 P.M. in winter and 9 P.M. in summer, although not until 10 P.M. during sesshin. Truly, a monastic day is a full and earnest one.”
Source: The Zen Life
“When mind discriminates, there is manifoldness of things; when it does not it looks into the true state of things.”
“Intellectualisation creates a gap or lack of rapport between you and your life. You may think about things so much that you get into the state where you are eating the menu instead of the dinner.”
“To Do Today:
1. Sit and think
2. Reach enlightenment
3. Feed the cats”
Source: There are Two Typos of People in This World: Those Who Can Edit and Those Who Can't
“The first thing you find when you take up meditation is that you are face to face with your own insanity. ... People leave meditation practice because they are unable to bear the pain and the insult.”
Source: A Temporary Affair: Talks on Awakening and Zen
“To practice Zen means to realize one's existence in the beauty and clarity of this present moment, rather than letting life unravel in useless daydreaming of the past and future. To "rest in the present" is a state of magical simplicity.”
Source: Zen Meditation in Plain English
“No. Silence is something. This is nothing. Why couldn’t I hear it before? I think it has been there always. From the beginning of time.’ He put out his hand and stubbed it on my arm, stared at it. ‘At the end of the world, at the beginning of the world; under the sea and over the sky; at the root and crown of the universe: nothing. At all. That’s what I heard. What I hear.’ He leaned forward. ‘Do you understand?”
Source: Listening at the Gate
“A mountain shrouded in mist is not hiding anything profound. There is no more wisdom on top of that mountain than there is anywhere else. It is just as sacred as a nap below the bough of a tree, washing the dishes, the sun fading over a meadow, belly laughter, a walk down a narrow path.”
“The earth provides not just a little, but all. The very body and mind with which I tend the earth are themselves of the earth. I am but earth tending earth. Were the earth not to roll this garden toward the sun today, were the clouds not to gather above the sea, the waters not to flow, the soil not to brim with its billions of microorganisms, were all or any part of this to fail, I would fail as well, my body numbed to a fixed stillness, my slightest thought cancelled. This truth is so obvious that it is a wonder we can forget it so often and so easily. The fact of it defines who we are. To forget this is to forget who we are, a species suffering from amnesia that bewildered seeks its own name.”
Source: Bad Dog!: A Memoir of Love, Beauty, and Redemption in Dark Places
“If we don’t insist on defining impermanence as unsatisfactory, then it’s natural to celebrate. Just a moments pause to consider the passing of the seasons is enough to convince anyone that not only is impermanence the source of all possible joy in this life but its the movement of life itself.”
Source: Bad Dog!: A Memoir of Love, Beauty, and Redemption in Dark Places
“Whether you are CEO of a corporation or a garbage collector, whether you are an opera singer or a dishwasher, you are united because you can look inside and see yourself. You do not see people different from you, you start seeing that people are your true self appearing. If you cannot handle people right away, because many people are not living in that world, then try a poodle if you want to see what it looks like for the light to look back at you with open eyes.”
Source: A Temporary Affair: Talks on Awakening and Zen
“[W]hen your practice is calm and ordinary, everyday life itself is enlightenment.”
Source: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
“With whatever time is left to you, play your part well — perfectly. Play it as you want to be remembered. No more can anyone ask of us or can we ask of ourselves.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“The ancient sages tell us that it is only through daily self-renewal of character that we can attain and continue at the height of our powers.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Bergen zoals deze, en reizigers in de bergen, en hun lotgevallen treft men niet alleen aan in Zen-literatuur, maar in de exemplarische vertellingen van iedere grote religie. De allegorische voorstelling van een natuurlijke berg voor de geestelijke berg die tussen iedere ziel en zijn doel staat, werpt zich makkelijk en als vanzelfsprekend op. Zoals iedereen in het dal beneden ons, staan de meeste mensen hun hele leven voor de aanblik van de geestelijke bergen in hun leven waarin zij zich nooit begeven, tevreden als ze zijn met de verhalen van degenen die er geweest zijn, en op die manier vermijden ze de beproevingen. Sommige reizen in de bergen begeleid door ervaren gidsen die de beste en minst gevaarlijke wegen kennen die tot hun bestemming leiden. Weer anderen, meest onervaren en zonder vertrouwen, wagen het hun eigen weg te ontdekken. Slechts weinigen slagen daarin, maar af en toe halen enkelen het door louter wilskracht, geluk en genade. Zodra zij zijn gearriveerd beseffen zij beter dan alle anderen dat er niet één, of een vast aantal wegen bestaat. Er zijn zoveel wegen als er afzonderlijke zielen zijn.”
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
“De hellingen van de berg dragen het leven, niet de top.”
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
“Iedere inspanning die zelfverheerlijking tot uiteindelijk doel heeft, moet op een ramp uitdraaien.”
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
“Student: When looking at a perfect mountain view, I see a mountain, but my friend sees God! What is the reason for this, master? Master: What do you see when you look at me? Student: Of course I see you, master! Master: Okay, so there's nothing wrong with your eyes! But recommend a pair of glasses to your friend!”
“Disciple: Master, tomorrow I will go to my village and stay for a few weeks and rest, will you bless me before I go? Master: If you really want to be blessed, get to know different people of different lives rather than your own village!”
“Student: Master, I did exactly as you said, climbed the stairs, wandered through narrow streets, talked to many different people, read books, but still did not gain wisdom! Master: Oh yeah, then do the opposite of what I said, maybe it will work! Student: You're mocking me, master! Master: No! If one path did not lead you to success, you will try another path, that's what I'm telling you!”
“Know that this too shall pass...”
“Student: Master, you are a wise man, give me the secret of happiness! Master: Is there a nail where you are sitting? Student: No, master. Master: Then you're happy! Student: What if I said there is a nail on my seat, master? Master: Then I would say stand up and be happy!”
“In sumi-e, he said, as in haiku aur in any Zen training, the aim was to develop a discipline so sure and a spirit so true that one could afford to be atleast spontaneous; to get into such a state of deliberateness that as soon as one put pen to paper, one would produce something powerful and true.”
Source: The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
“In sumi-e, he said, as in haiku or in any Zen training, the aim was to develop a discipline so sure and a spirit so true that one could afford to be atleast spontaneous; to get into such a state of deliberateness that as soon as one put pen to paper, one would produce something powerful and true.”
Source: The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
“As I read deeper in the Zen poets, I soon stumbled upon Ikkyū, the fifteenth-century sword-wielding monk of Daitokuji, who had entered a temple at the age of six and gone on to express his contempt for the corrupt monasteries of his time in famously controversial poems. Like the Sixth Dalai Lama, in his way, Ikkyū had been a patron - and a laureate - of the local taverns, and of the pretty girls he had found therein; and like his Tibetan counterpart, or John Donne in our own tradition, he had deliberately conflated the terms of earthly love with those of devotion to the Absolute. The very name he gave himself, "Crazy Cloud", had played subversively on the fact that "cloud water" was a traditional term for monks, who wandered without trace, yet "cloud rain" was a conventional idiom for the act of love. His image of the "red thread" ran through the austere surroundings of his poems as shockingly as the scarlet peonies of Akiko. And in his refusal to kowtow to convention, the maverick monk had turned every certainty on its head: whores, he said, could be like ideal monks - since they inhabited the ideal Zen state of "no min" - while monks, in selling themselves for gold brocade, were scarcely different from whores. Many of his verses trembled with this ambiguity. One couplet, taken one way, was translated as "Making distinctions between good and evil, the monk's skill lies in knowing the essential condition of the Buddha and the Devil"; taken another way, it meant: "That girl is no good, this one will do; the monk's skill is in having the appetite of a devilish Buddha.”
Source: The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto
“Live the Present t's given to you now!
It's the presence that changes its essence.
Vibrate as one with all around somehow
Embracing all, feel the Power of Awareness.
(acrostic LIVE from the book A+Cross Tic)
#flowerpower”
Source: ACross Tic
“While there is nothing wrong with thinking big and chasing your dreams, it is also sad when you realize that most of us tend to forget how to “live in the moment.” We become so overwhelmed by our own thoughts and feelings of the past and the future that we forget all about how precious the present is.”
Source: Zen: The Secrets You Need to Know to Achieve the Zen Mindset and Happiness in Life
“Mentally focus your attention on the part of you that needs healing. Now slowly take a deep breath, slowly filling your lungs to capacity while you send the oxygen to the part of you that needs healing. Now slowly breathe out, visualizing the ailing part being healed.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“The way to peace is to be peaceful.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“You suffered, not realizing that the events were part of the plan to give you strength, wisdom, and good fortune.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“An event is just an event. How you respond to the event determines its outcome in your life.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“When we use our mind, not our brain, to think, to imagine, to plan, to wonder about existence, we are drawing upon the Taoversal consciousness that streams through us.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“In order for there to be light, there must first exist non - light or total darkness. Nowhere in the Taoverse would there be light. No stars. Total darkness. Zero light. The blackest of the black. Therefore light exists in total darkness.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“When we are proud of someone, they bask in the glow of our appreciation, as do we when we are appreciated.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Our destiny is not fixed. It’s a moving destiny, one that we constantly influence and shape as we move along our path toward enlightenment.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“You change your future and influence it by how you are being every moment.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Everything that was created changes. But time was not created. Time does not change. Time does not “ do ” anything. Time is a word we use to describe what existence exists in.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Your destiny is constantly changing according to your actions.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Your destiny was billions of years in the making.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“If you hurt someone intentionally, you changed your karmic destiny. If you were mean to someone, your karmic destiny changed to take into account what your meanness would create in your life and in the life of the person you were mean to — a constantly moving, shifting panorama of destinies.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Karma is Tao’s response to the sum of your actions.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“As you transition at the end of this life, your physical body will begin its slow transformation into the substances that will support other living things. Your consciousness, however, will not transform. It is already a complete entity unto itself.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition
“Living your life authentically means living your life being true to what is highest and best within you without misrepresentation.”
Source: That Was Zen, This Is Tao: Living Your Way to Enlightenment, Illustrated Edition