Quotes from Shohaku Okumura

All we can do is to try in each moment, whatever we are doing, to practice the Buddha Way; we just keep opening the hand of thought and continuing to practice. There is no time when one can say, "I'm finished—now I have finally reached the level of an enlightened person.

Shikantaza is not a practice carried out by the individual. It is, rather, a practice in which we let go of the individual karmic self that is constantly seeking to satisfy its own desires.

Within nirvana we can appreciate both positive and negative experiences as simply the scenery of our lives.

Pain was simply pain, pleasure was simply pleasure; for him they were no longer part of the cycle of suffering.

People often ask me, "What is the S?t? Zen view of rebirth?" This is a difficult question because D?gen Zenji, I believe, advocates "not knowing" in this case. Rather than offering us a consistent view on rebirth, he teaches that we should let go of our limiting concepts and beliefs and simply practice right here, right now.

We may cultivate, for example, our reputation as a sincere and virtuous practitioner, instead of simply practicing sincerely and nurturing our virtues

When we wear the okesa, we are also farming. This is the meaning of "robe of virtuous field" (fukuden-e). This body and mind is the field we work. It is not a field of fortune from which we can expect to receive blessings without practice. We have to cultivate our life.

Right here" is the reality of interdependent origination, the reality in which everything, including human beings, exists within the vast network of causes and conditions.

When practicing shikantaza, we do nothing but sit with the whole body and mind. We do nothing with the mind, so this is not actually a meditation practice. In this zazen we don't practice with a mantra or contemplate anything. We don't count or watch the breath. We don't try to concentrate the mind on any particular object or use any other meditation techniques; we really just sit with both body and mind.

become angry. Weeding is one of the main jobs of Buddhist priests in Japanese temples, especially in the summer, and the weeds grow so quickly!

Within this world of likes and dislikes, we do not perceive the myriad dharmas as they really are.

But according to Buddhist philosophy, self-identity, the "I," is a creation of the mind; we create self-identity because it's convenient and useful in certain ways. We must use self-identity to live responsibly in society, but we should realize that it is merely a tool, a symbol, a sign, or a concept. Because it enables us to think and discriminate, self-identity allows us to live and function.

Thought is just a secretion from our brain.

When D?gen says in Sh?b?genz? Sh?ji (Life and Death) that "life and death is Buddha's Life," he means our life in samsara is nothing other than nirvana.

If rebirth exists, that is all right: I will simply try to continue practicing everything good and refrain from everything bad through my next life. If there is no rebirth, I will have nothing to do after my death and I will have no need to consider my practice. This was my view of rebirth for most of my life as a Buddhist.

If we open the hand of thought that grasps "this person" (that is, our self) as the center of the world, then our lives broaden and our hearts open to all beings. This is the basic teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The present moment is the only reality we experience because the past is already gone and the future has not yet come.