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Meditation Quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

45 Meditation quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

All Meditation quotes Shunryu Suzuki’s page

Life without zazen is like a clock that runs but never tells time, Suzuki says. He explains that Zen is not a special art but a way to see things exactly as they are, and that beginners keep many possibilities while experts focus on fewer thoughts. Patience is needed to find a calm, steady mind.

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

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

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

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When you sit, everything sits with you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shunryū Suzuki

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

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

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“Actually we do not have any particular name for our practice; when we practice zazen we just practice it, and whether we…

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So it is not a matter of whether it is possible to attain Buddhahood, or if it is possible to make a…

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If you want to study Zen, you should forget all your previous ideas and just practice zazen and see what kind of…

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“If you want to discover the true meaning of Zen in your everyday life, you have to understand the meaning of keeping…

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“In other restless positions you have no power to accept your difficulties, but in the zazen posture which you have acquired by…

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

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

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

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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…

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

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So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of…

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The mind we have when we practice zazen is the great mind: we don't try to see anything; we stop conceptual thinking;…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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More by Shunryu Suzuki

The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.

If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after…

You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?

Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.”

The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…

Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.…

When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…

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

So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always…

Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…

The world is its own magic.

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

Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.

The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.