Quotes from Philip Toshio Sudo

As the most socially accepted means of touching, a handshake is one of the main ways we exchange energy with others.

When there's no escaping the heat of the cold, the only way to combat it is to accept it.

Zen teaches that our approach to today determines our whole approach to life.

The only time and place to find enlightenment is in this moment. No need to check your watch. The time is now.

Each moment is new. We have never lived it before and will never live it again. It is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

In zen, it is a cardinal sin to waste time. To waste time is to squander the here and now, which, if you think about it, is all that we have.

When in doubt, initiate. Say yes—to love, to life, to joining in with others. That is how we stay on the right path and, at the same time, elevate humanity.

All things reflect the divine energy of nature—every flower, every rock, every sound, every sight. Once we realize that truth, we cannot help but smile.

Put in an honest day's work. It is the building block of a spiritual life.

Do not analyze things to death. Sometimes the best strategy is, "Ready, fire, aim." Do it first , then make adjustments. The answer lies in action-not in words.

Every mundane detail, quickly forgotten, marks our time on this earth. We're doing nothing. Just living.

To complain about the rain, or lack of it, shows a mind out of tune with nature. Align with nature, and, rain or shine, the weather is always welcome.

Whatever we set out to make- a meal, a table, a bed- we should make as well as we can. To do otherwise is spiritless.

Some cooks prepare their meals and leave a big mess for later, but the way of zen is to clean as you go.

The Buddha's lesson: Do not wait for the moment of imminent death to taste life's sweetness. Savor it now. Every breath we take is precious. Treat it as such, and all of life becomes a luscious dessert.

Zen is nothing more than adhering to such simple tasks, with full attention.