Quotes About Zen

If you ask Zen people they will say tea is not something that you pour with unawareness and drink like any other drink. It is not a drink, it is meditation; it is prayer. So they listen to the kettle creating a melody, and in that listening they become more silent, more alert.

There we go, that's it. I just hold my hand in this position for the next couple of hours.

There are few times that I feel more at peace, more in tune, more Zen, if you will, than when I force myself to unplug.

Walking is, in fact, a tremendous bore. But I liked watching Chloe walk. I know that sounds queer, but a dog derives such pleasure from this simple activity. It made me Zen-happy to watch her. Back

How many Zen masters does it take to screw in a light bulb? The plum tree in the garden!

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.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

Japanese tea ceremony

Such a Zen dialogue is basically a contest, but it's really an anti-contest. It's a kind of reverse or paradoxical contest. It works like this: two people talk, and the first one who speaks from the ego loses. The one who wants to win is certainly going to lose.

In the last five years I used to go to Zen practice once a month, but since I assumed the post of prime minister it's been much harder.

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.

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.

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.

What we call 'I' is just a swinging door, which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.

When we have our body and mind in order, everything else will exist in the right place, in the right way.

Moment after moment, everyone comes out from nothingness. This is the true joy of life.

Actually we do not have any particular name for our practice; when we practice zazen we just practice it, and whether we find joy in our practice or not, we just do it.

you will find the worst horse is the most valuable one. In your very imperfections you will find the basis for your firm, way-seeking mind... But those who find great difficulties in practicing Zen will find more meaning in it. So I think that sometimes the best horse may be the worst horse, and the worst horse can be the best one.

To take this posture itself is the purpose of our practice.

Actually the best way to relieve your mental suffering is to sit in zazen, even in such a confused state of mind and bad posture.

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

If you want to discover the true meaning of Zen in your everyday life, you have to understand the meaning of keeping your mind on your breathing and your body in the right posture in zazen.

But the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort.