Meditation Quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

The best way to control cow and sheep is to give them a big grazing field.

— Shunryu Suzuki

When you sit, everything sits with you.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Zen practice is to open up our small mind.”

— Shunryu Suzuki

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen.

— Shunryu Suzuki

The secret of zen is just two words: not... always... so.

— Shunryu Suzuki

Zen is everywhere… But for you, Zen is right here.

— Shunryu Suzuki

The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“It will take quite a long time before you find your calm, serene mind in your practice.”

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Those who can sit perfectly physically usually take more time to obtain the true way of Zen, the actual feeling of Zen,…

— Shunryu Suzuki

Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Actually the best way to relieve your mental suffering is to sit in zazen, even in such a confused state of mind…

— Shunryu Suzuki

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

— Shunryu Suzuki

In the zazen posture, your mind and body have, great power to accept things as they are, whether agreeable or disagreeable.

— Shunryu Suzuki

Zazen practice and everyday activity are one thing. We call zazen everyday life, and everyday life zazen.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“and you will become friendly with others. This is the merit of Zen practice. But the way of practice is just to…

— Shunryu Suzuki

Someone was sitting in front of a sunflower, watching the sunflower, a cup of sun, and so I tried it too. It…

— Shunryu Suzuki

Meditation opens the mind to the greatest mystery that takes place daily and hourly; it widens the heart so that it may…

— Shunryu Suzuki

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“In Hinayana Buddhism, practice is classified in four ways. The best way is just to do it without having any joy in…

— Shunryu Suzuki

People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is…

— Shunryu Suzuki

Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense.…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“In zazen practice we say your mind should be concentrated on your breathing, but the way to keep your mind on your…

— Shunryu Suzuki

While you are continuing this practice, week after week, year after year, your experience will become deeper and deeper, and your experience…

— Shunryu Suzuki

When you are practicing zazen, do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself. If something comes into your…

— Shunryu Suzuki

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

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

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few… In the beginner's mind there is no…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense.…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Even in zazen you will lose yourself. When you become sleepy, or when your mind starts to wander about, you lose yourself.…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, “I know…

— Shunryu Suzuki

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“Even when you practice zazen alone, without a teacher, I think you will find some way to tell whether your practice is…

— Shunryu Suzuki

The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thursty.

— Shunryu Suzuki

“The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything…

— Shunryū Suzuki

The secret of Soto Zen is just two words: not always so… In Japanese, it's two words, three words in English. That…

— Shunryu Suzuki

“But as long as you think you are practicing zazen for the sake of something, that is not true practice.”

— Shunryu Suzuki

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.

— Shunryu Suzuki

The more you practice zazen, the more you will be able to accept something as your own, whatever it is.

— Shunryu Suzuki

Those who sit perfectly physically usually take more time to obtain the true way of Zen.

— Shunryu Suzuki

Zazen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking, for a human being, there is no other practice than…

— Shunryu Suzuki