Quotes About Enlightenment

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.

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 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.

Truth only reveals itself when one gives up all preconceived ideas.

You do not say, "This is enlightenment," or "That is not right practice." Even in wrong practice, when you realize it and continue, there is right practice.

If you think you will get something from practicing zazen, already you are involved in impure practice.

To live in the realm of Buddha nature means to die as a small being, moment after moment.

Our effort in our practice should be directed from achievement to non-achievement.

Pleasure is not different from difficulty. Good is not different from bad. Bad is good; good is bad. They are two sides of one coin. So enlightenment should be in practice. That is the right understanding of practice, and the right understanding of our life. So to find pleasure in suffering is the only way to accept the truth of transiency.

The goal of our life's effort is to reach the other shore, Nirvana. Prajna paramita, the true wisdom of life, is that in each step of the way, the other shore is actually reached.

The trying to do something is in itself enlightenment. When we are in difficulty or distress, there we have enlightenment.

Our way is not to sit to acquire something; it is to express our true nature. That is our practice.

Zen practice is to open up our small mind.

In Hinayana Buddhism, practice is classified in four ways. The best way is just to do it without having any joy in it, not even spiritual joy. This way is just to do it, forgetting your physical and mental feeling, forgetting all about yourself in your practice.

But the purpose of studying Buddhism is to study ourselves and to forget ourselves. When we forget ourselves, we actually are the true activity of the big existence, or reality itself.

We sit to express our true nature

There is no gap between the ignorant and the wise. A foolish person is a wise person; a wise person is a foolish person.

W]hen your practice is calm and ordinary, everyday life itself is enlightenment.

A Zen master once said, "To go eastward one mile is to go westward one mile." This is vital freedom. We should acquire this kind of perfect freedom.

Although Buddhism is unattainable, we vow to attain it.If it is unattainable, how can we attain it? But we should! That is Buddhism.

In our practice we have no particular purpose or goal, nor any special object of worship.

Which is more important: to attain enlightenment, or to attain enlightenment before you attain enlightenment; to make a million dollars, or to enjoy your life in your effort, little by little, even though it is impossible to make that million; to be successful, or to find some meaning in your effort to be successful? If you do not know the answer, you will not even be able to practice zazen; if you do know, you will have found the true treasure of life.

Those who find great difficulties in practicing Zen will find more meaning in it.

When you know everything, you are like a dark sky. Sometimes a flashing will come through the dark sky. After it passes, you forget all about it, and there is nothing left but the dark sky. The sky is never surprised when all of a sudden a thunderbolt breaks through. And when the lightning does flash, a wonderful sight may be seen. When we have emptiness we are always prepared for watching the flashing.