“But do not give up your practice; continue it, knowing your weakness.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“Our way is not to sit to acquire something; it is to express our true nature. That is our practice.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
You should rather be grateful for the weeds you have in your mind, because eventually they will enrich your practice. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“But as long as you think you are practicing zazen for the sake of something, that is not true practice.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“But the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
Let your ears hear without trying to hear. Let the mind think without trying to think and without trying to stop it.… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
The more you practice zazen, the more you will be able to accept something as your own, whatever it is. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“You should rather be grateful for the weeds, because eventually they will enrich your practice.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“So even though you have some difficulty in your practice, even though you have some waves while you are sitting, those waves… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“In other restless positions you have no power to accept your difficulties, but in the zazen posture which you have acquired by… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
Zazen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking, for a human being, there is no other practice than… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If you want to study Zen, you should forget all your previous ideas and just practice zazen and see what kind of… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
We do not slight the idea of enlightenment, but the most important thing is this moment, not some day in the future.… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“While you are continuing this practice, week after week, year after year, your experience will become deeper and deeper, and your experience… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
So it is not a matter of whether it is possible to attain Buddhahood, or if it is possible to make a… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“Actually we do not have any particular name for our practice; when we practice zazen we just practice it, and whether we… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If you understand real practice, then archery or other activities can be zen. If you don't understand how to practice archery in… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
While you are continuing this practice, week after week, year after year, your experience will become deeper and deeper, and your experience… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
In the beginner's mind there is no thought, "I have attained something." All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
The mind we have when we practice zazen is the great mind: we don't try to see anything; we stop conceptual thinking;… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. The innocence of the first inquiry—what am I?—is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If enlightenment comes first, before thinking, before practice, your thinking and your practice will not be self-centered. By enlightenment I mean believing… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“It is when your practice is rather greedy that you become discouraged with it.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
Even though you have pain in your legs, you can do it. Even though your practice is not good enough, you can… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“It will take quite a long time before you find your calm, serene mind in your practice.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“Our effort in our practice should be directed from achievement to non-achievement.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If you think you will get something from practicing zazen, already you are involved in impure practice. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thursty. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
“Even when you practice zazen alone, without a teacher, I think you will find some way to tell whether your practice is… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share Image
If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away? — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to… — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way. — Shunryu Suzuki Copy Share
