If you want to travel the Way of Buddhas and Zen masters, then expect nothing, seek nothing, and grasp nothing. — Dogen
Buddhism teaches you to embrace change. — Koo Stark
To practice Zen Buddhism is to train oneself to eliminate hatred, anger and selfishness and to develop loving-kindness towards all. — Thich Thien-An
The renowned seventh-century Zen master Seng-tsan taught that true freedom is being "without anxiety about imperfection. — Tara Brach
Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. — Bodhidharma
To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, 'Don't cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.' — Ajahn Chah
The truth of Zen, just a little bit of it, is what turns one's humdrum life, a life of monotonous, uninspiring commonplaceness, into one of art, full of genuine inner creativity. — D.T. Suzuki
Harmonizing opposites by going back to their source is the distinctive quality of the Zen attitude, the Middle Way: embracing contradictions, making a synthesis of them, achieving balance. — Taisen Deshimaru
Buddhism has become a socially recognized religious philosophy for Americans, whereas it used to be considered an exotic religion. — Thurston Moore
Buddha was not a Christian, but Jesus would have made a good Buddhist. — Ray Wylie Hubbard
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
Freedom from desire leads to inner peace. — Lao Tzu
I haven't got any Buddhism. I live by letting things happen. — Dogen
If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. — Linji Yixuan
The middle path is the way to wisdom — Rumi
Zen Buddhism Image Quotes
Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.
Zen Buddhist Quotes
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass. — Dogen
Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. — Confucius
Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows, by itself. — Matsuo Basho
However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them? — Buddha
If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. — Buddha
In a controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves. — Abraham Joshua Heschel
Mind is everything. What we think, we become. — Buddha
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. — Buddha
Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun. — Alan Watts
Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. — Buddha
Zen Quotes
If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it? — Dogen
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others. — Buddha
Let your mind wander in the pure and simple. Be one with the infinite. Let all things take their course. — Zhuangzi
Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen. — Bodhidharma
Have good trust in yourself,
not in the One that you think you should be,
but in the One that you are. — Taizan Maezumi
We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen. — D.T. Suzuki
When you live in the shadow of insanity, the appearance of another mind that thinks and talks as yours does is something close to a blessed event. — Robert M. Pirsig
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor. — Nhat Hanh
Let me give you a wonderful Zen practice. Wake up in the morning...look in the mirror, and laugh at yourself. — Bernie Glassman
Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space? — D.T. Suzuki
Zen Life Quotes
You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself. — Alan Watts
The key to finding happiness in this life is realizing that the only way to overcome is to transcend; to find happiness in the simple pleasures, to master the art of just being. — Brianna Wiest
Life is a vast, unknowable movement of wholeness with no one separate from it and nothing outside of it. — Toni Packer
Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. — Zhuangzi
When one is seized with a passion to understand one’s self, one has to leave behind all normal life and habitual modes of thought. — R.K. Narayan
When the student is ready the teacher will appear. — Lao Tzu
Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. — Ray Bradbury
Many people are cruising through life doing precisely zero hours of deliberate practice. — Angela Duckworth
A zen master's life is one continuous mistake. — Dogen
Zen is not “attained” by mirror-wiping mediation, but by “self-forgetfulness in the existential 'present' of life here and now.” We do not “come”, we “are.” Don't strive to become, but be. — Bruce Lee
Zen Like Quotes
I feel like Zoom is not a part of Zoom anymore. Zoom belongs to the world now. — Eric Yuan
If you try to grasp Zen in movement, it goes into stillness. If you try to grasp Zen in stillness, it goes into movement. It is like a fish hidden in a spring, drumming up waves and dancing independently. — Linji Yixuan
This is what Zen means by being detached—not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling is not sticky or blocked, and through whom the experiences of the world pass like the reflections of birds flying over water. — Alan Watts
To say one is revolutionary is a little like saying one is a Zen Buddhist - if you say you are, you probably aren't. — Lawrence Ferlinghetti
When a garden is used as a place to pause for thought, that is when a Zen garden comes to life. When you contemplate a garden like this it will form as lasting impression on your heart. — Muso Soseki
Life should be touched, not strangled. — Ray Bradbury
To an experienced Zen Buddhist, asking if one believes in Zen or one believes in the Buddha, sounds a little ludicrous, like asking if one believes in air or water. Similarly Quality is not something you believe in, Quality is something you experience. — Robert M. Pirsig
To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat. — Shunryu Suzuki
Crowdsourcing is the ultimate disruptor of distribution because in a most Zen-like fashion, the content is controlled by everyone and no one at the same time. — Jay Samit
Zen Master Quotes
Children are natural Zen masters; their world is brand new in each and every moment. — John Bradshaw
At Patagonia, making a profit is not the goal because the Zen master would say profits happen 'when you do everything else right'. — Yvon Chouinard
How many Zen masters does it take to screw in a light bulb? The plum tree in the garden! — Brad Warner
Fish sense, applied in the field, is what the old Zen masters would call enlightenment: simply the ability to see what's right there in front of you without having to sift through a lot of thoughts and theories and, yes, expensive fishing tackle. — John Gierach
The only trouble was that the scripture master, Mr. Ebenzar, was a fanatic. — R.K. Narayan
In deep self acceptance, grows a compassionate understanding. — Sayings
Nonresistance, nonjudgment, and nonattachment are the three aspects of true freedom and enlightened living. — Eckhart Tolle
A Zen master, when asked where he would go after he died, replied, 'To Hell, for that's where help is needed most.' — Philip Kapleau
I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats. — Eckhart Tolle
Zen masters say you cannot see your reflection in running water, only in still water. — Elizabeth Gilbert
Zen Proverb Quotes
The greatest effort is not concerned with results. — Atisa
The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground. — Buddha
If you do not get it from yourself, where will you go for it? — Dogen
Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine. — Shunryu Suzuki
To follow the path look to the master follow the master walk with the master see through the master become the master. — Sengcan
Those who know don't tell and those who tell don't know. — Michael Lewis
When you get there, there isn't any there there. — Gertrude Stein
Zen phrase says The instant you speak about a thing you miss the mark. — Fritjof Capra
The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. — Sengcan
Buddhist Meditation Quotes
Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. What you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. — Ajahn Chah
All meditation must begin with arousing deep compassion. Whatever one does must emerge from an attitude of love and benefitting others. — Milarepa
I'm expressin' with my full capabilities,
And now I'm livin in correctional facilities.
Cause some don't agree with how I do this,
I get straight and meditate like a Buddhist. — Dr. Dre
If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear. — Buddha
In horror of death, I took to the mountains - again and again I meditated on the uncertainty of the hour of death, capturing the fortress of the deathless unending nature of mind. Now all fear of death is over and done. — Milarepa
You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too. — Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment. — Nhat Hanh
When sitting in meditation, say, "That's not my business!" with every thought that comes by. — Ajahn Chah
Movement is good for the body. Stillness is good for the mind. — Sakyong Mipham
If you have a glass full of liquid you can discourse forever on its qualities, discuss whether it is cold, warm, whether it is really and truly composed of H-2-O, or even mineral water, or saki. Meditation is Drinking it! — Taisen Deshimaru
Buddhism Quotes
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle. Happiness never decreases by being shared. — Buddha
Do not encumber your mind with useless thoughts. What good does it do to brood on the past or anticipate the future? Remain in the simplicity of the present moment. — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. — Pema Chodron
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create disticntions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. — Buddha
On the day that you were born, you began to die. Do not waste a single moment more! — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. — Buddha
Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else. — Shunryu Suzuki
Learn to be happy in any and all circumstances, whether you're experiencing pleasure or pain, whether there's loss or gain, whether the world loves you or hates you. Learn to be happy. — Frederick Lenz
Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass, crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze. — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Buddhist Philosophy Quotes
"All conditioned things are impermanent" - when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. — Buddha
I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go. — Sheng-yen
If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him. — Buddha
To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. — Buddha
A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker. — Buddha
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill. — Buddha
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. — Buddha
All philosophies are mental fabrications. There has never been a single doctrine by which one could enter the true essence of things. — Akkineni Nagarjuna
From the high spiritual flights of the Vedanta philosophy, of which the latest discoveries of science seem like echoes, to the low ideas of idolatry with its multifarious mythology, the agnosticism of the Buddhists and the atheism of the Jains, each and all have a place in the Hinduism religion. — Swami Vivekananda
Buddhist Life Quotes
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. — Dalai Lama
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done. — Marie Curie
We suffer because we want life to be different from what it is. We suffer because we try to make pleasurable what is painful, to make solid what is fluid, to make permanent what is always changing. — Sakyong Mipham
If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good. — Shantideva
Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life. — Dogen
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality. — Dalai Lama
One moment can change a day, One day can change a life and One life can change the world — Buddha
Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. — A. A. Milne
This is bravery: using the challenge of daily life to sharpen our mind and open our heart. — Sakyong Mipham
Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. — Nhat Hanh
One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world. — Dogen
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act. — Buddha
Well, I would have to say as a Christian that I believe any belief system, any world view, whether its Zen Buddhism or Hinduism or dialectical materialism for that matter, Marxism, that keeps persons captive and keeps them from coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, is a demonstration of satanic power. — Albert Mohler
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. — Nhat Hanh
Zen Buddhism does not preach. Sermons remain words. It waits until people feel stifled and insecure, driven by a secret longing. — Eugen Herrigel
People get stuck a lot because they're afraid to act; in the worst case,...we get so attached to some end result that we can't function. We need help just to move on, only life doesn't wait. — Bernie Glassman
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely. — Buddha
A student, filled with emotion and crying, implored, "Why is there so much suffering?" Suzuki Roshi replied, "No reason. — Shunryu Suzuki
When love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and undisguised. — Osho
Suzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism... We cannot be sufficiently grateful to the author, first for the fact of his having brought Zen closer to Western understanding, and secondly for the manner in which he has achieved this task. — D.T. Suzuki
To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point; we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism. — Shunryu Suzuki
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience. — Edward Abbey
There are things that I value now that I didn't when I first went over there, like Zen Buddhism, which has become part of my life over the last couple years. — Matthew Sweet
The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of the enlivening spirit of the Buddha, stripped of all its historical and doctrinal garments. — D.T. Suzuki
In Zen Buddhism an action is considered good when it brings happiness and well-being to oneself and others, evil when it brings suffering and harm to oneself and others. — Thich Thien-An
The samurais were very interested in Zen because they admired the tremendous precision that the Zen Masters had, their lack of fear and pain and their absolute lack of fear of death. — Frederick Lenz
If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind. In Zen mind there is no sense of self in the play. — Frederick Lenz
In the West, we think of sports and athletics as individual achievement, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat; it all revolves around the ego. This has nothing to do with the Zen of sports and athletics. — Frederick Lenz
All success in sports and athletics, from the Zen point of view, comes from the mind. No matter what kind of shape your body is in, there is disharmony in the being. — Frederick Lenz
In Zen we strive to bring both the mind and the body into perfect combination, so that there is no intrinsic difference between them. — Frederick Lenz
Those who are already adept at some disciplines of the body will find that the study of Zen and meditation will give you much more control than you now have. — Frederick Lenz
In Zen Buddhism, the greater your doubt, the greater will be your enlightenment. That is why doubt can be a good thing. If you are too sure, if you always have conviction, then you may be caught in your wrong perception for a long time. — Nhat Hanh
Prophecy is rash, but it may be that the publication of D.T. Suzuki's first Essays in Zen Buddhism in 1927 will seem to future generations as great an intellectual event as William of Moerbeke's Latin translations of Aristotle in the thirteenth century or Marsiglio Ficino's of Plato in the fifteenth. — D.T. Suzuki
The teachings of Osho, in fact, encompass many religions, but he is not defined by any of them. He is an illuminating speaker on Zen, Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity and ancient Greek philosophy... and also a prolific author. — Nevill Drury
The great achievement of Zen Buddhism, and all of its cultural expressions in painting or the tea ceremony or rock gardens, is a rejection of earlier Buddhist ideas which were dependent
upon narrative - all the mythological creatures that populate the Buddhist galaxy. Zen insisted on the real located in nature. — Diego Cortez
We have been teaching together [with Kaz] now for more than twenty years in sesshins, in international travel programs in Japan and China, as well as intensives on Buddhism that focus on the work of Zen Master Dogen and Ryokan, as well as on many of the Mahayana sutras. — Joan Halifax
I seemed to recall some words from an old Zen master, something like, "My Zen cuts down mountains." My rejection of Buddhism was a cutting down of mountains; that is precisely how it felt to me. — Quentin S. Crisp
Apart from the underlying mystery of all things, there is also another possible specific mystery in this situation: Why did I become so interested in Buddhism, Zen and so on? I seem to have a Buddhist voice in my head, and someone asked me about this recently, saying he was intrigued. — Quentin S. Crisp
I have a bit of a struggle with some aspects of or forms of Buddhism, but Zen I find to be mainly congenial. — Quentin S. Crisp
In Conclusion
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