--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Zen student asked his roshi the most…" description: "\"A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, \"Attention.\" \"Yes, thank you,\" the student replied. \"But can you tel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png" --- # A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element… ![“A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, "Attention." "Yes, thank you," the student replied. "But can you tell me the second most important element?"And the roshi replied, "Attention."” quote by Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png) > “A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, "Attention." "Yes, thank you," the student replied. "But can you tell me the second most important element?"And the roshi replied, "Attention."” [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The core message is that true mastery requires focused, sustained attention; nothing else matters more than being present. **In simple terms:** Attention is everything. Key Takeaway Cultivate deep, uninterrupted focus. Themes mindfulness focus mastery Mood calm concentrated Type aphilosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation practice - learning new skill - working on complex project - teaching - public speaking Key Concepts Zen cognitive presence Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve your attention daily? - What situations test your focus the most? A Different Perspective Attention alone may not address emotional balance or creativity; other qualities also matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) ## Related quotes > [Any good athletic is always in a state of perpetual training, as is the Zen student.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/any-good-athletic-is-always-in-a-state-of-perpetual-training-as-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [To me, the most important elements in a theatre are the actors and the texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/to-me-the-most-important-elements-in-a-theatre-are-the-actors-and-the/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. 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If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. 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No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) ## More by Dan Millman > [...when you resist what happens, your mind begins to race; the same thoughts that impinge upon you are actually created by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/when-you-resist-what-happens-your-mind-begins-to-race-the-same/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Life is not suffering; it's just that you will suffer it, rather than enjoy it, until you let go of your mind's attachments and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/life-is-not-suffering-it-s-just-that-you-will-suffer-it-rather-than/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Coming to appreciate your worth can, in some cases, dramatically improve your circumstances by changing the choices you make and the actions you take.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/coming-to-appreciate-your-worth-can-in-some-cases-dramatically/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Inward spiritual practices such as meditation, breathing techniques and self-analysis generate insights and enhance abilities, but none are so useful as learning to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/inward-spiritual-practices-such-as-meditation-breathing-techniques/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [We are both burdened and blessed by the great responsibility of the will - the power of choice. 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If you have enough of one, you will develop the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/do-you-have-the-courage-for-it-do-you-have-the-love-if-you-have/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [As a peaceful warrior, I would choose when, where and how I would behave. With that commitment, I began to live the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/as-a-peaceful-warrior-i-would-choose-when-where-and-how-i-would/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Life is constantly supporting us and giving us gifts. It's a matter of opening ourselves to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/life-is-constantly-supporting-us-and-giving-us-gifts-it-s-a-matter-of/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“We must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence, to find that enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/we-must-pass-through-solitude-and-difficulty-isolation-and-silence-to/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Words mean little unless you realize the truth of it yourself. And when you do, you'll be free at last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/words-mean-little-unless-you-realize-the-truth-of-it-yourself-and/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [“There is no need to search . . . achievement leads nowhere . . . makes no difference at all. Just be happy now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/there-is-no-need-to-search-achievement-leads-nowhere-makes-no/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [I had lost my mind and fallen into my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/i-had-lost-my-mind-and-fallen-into-my-heart/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Ships are safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for. So set sail on the stormy sea of love. You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/ships-are-safe-in-harbor-but-that-s-not-what-ships-are-for-so-set/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) [Explore all 231 Dan Millman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, \"Attention.\" \"Yes, thank you,\" the student replied. \"But can you tell me the second most important element?\"And the roshi replied, \"Attention.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Millman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-important-element-of-zen-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-important-element-of-zen-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/dan-millman-1475_attention_a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-i_722486.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A Zen student asked his roshi the most important element of Zen.The roshi replied, \"Attention.\" \"Yes, thank…” — Dan Millman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dan Millman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A Zen student asked his roshi...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-important-element-of-zen-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/a-zen-student-asked-his-roshi-the-most-important-element-of-zen-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```