--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Zen, like life, defies exact definition…" description: "\"Zen, like life, defies exact definition, but its essence is the experience, moment by moment, of our own existence -- a natural, spontaneous encounter,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/david-fontana-48347_definitions_zen-like-life-defies-exact-definition-bu_2176441.png" --- # Zen, like life, defies exact definition, but its essence… ![“Zen, like life, defies exact definition, but its essence is the experience, moment by moment, of our own existence -- a natural, spontaneous encounter, unclouded by the suppositions and expectations that come between us and reality. It is, if you like, a paring down of life until we see it as it…” quote by David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/david-fontana-48347_definitions_zen-like-life-defies-exact-definition-bu_2176441.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/david-fontana-48347_definitions_zen-like-life-defies-exact-definition-bu_2176441.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c0/david-fontana-48347_definitions_zen-like-life-defies-exact-definition-bu_2176441.png) > “Zen, like life, defies exact definition, but its essence is the experience, moment by moment, of our own existence -- a natural, spontaneous encounter, unclouded by the suppositions and expectations that come between us and reality. It is, if you like, a paring down of life until we see it as it really is, free from our illusions; it is merely a divestment of ourselves until we recognize our own true nature.” [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zen is about experiencing each moment directly, without mental filters or expectations, revealing true nature beyond illusion. **In simple terms:** Experience each moment directly, without mental filters. Key Takeaway Live in the present, free from preconceptions. Themes mindfulness presence self‑realization Mood calm reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - daily routines - creative work - stress reduction Key Concepts Zen Buddhism phenomenology Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice when expectations cloud your perception? - What practices help you stay present? A Different Perspective It can be hard to maintain this clarity amid constant distractions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Definition Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-essence-4681718/) [Definitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definitions/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Essence Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence-experience-1325107/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-natural-2827999/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Spontaneous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spontaneous/) [Supposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposition/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [True nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-nature/) [Zen like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zen-like/) ## Related quotes > [“The essence of all experience is Rasa – Bliss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prana-gogia/the-essence-of-all-experience-is-rasa-bliss/) [Prana Gogia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prana-gogia/) > [Each of the ten thousand states of mind presents you with a different view of essence and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/each-of-the-ten-thousand-states-of-mind-presents-you-with-a-different/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When we dance we touch the essence of who we are and experience the unity between spirit and matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeles-arrien/when-we-dance-we-touch-the-essence-of-who-we-are-and-experience-the/) [Angeles Arrien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angeles-arrien/) > [My own reasons for favouring talk of natural kinds is just that I believe the best accounts of the success of scientific theories presupposes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/my-own-reasons-for-favouring-talk-of-natural-kinds-is-just-that-i/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [As far as I'm concerned, if there is a supreme being then He chose organic evolution as a way of bringing into existence the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-if-there-is-a-supreme-being-then-he-chose/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Time, which measures everything in our idea, and is often deficient to our schemes, is to nature endless and as nothing; it cannot limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hutton/time-which-measures-everything-in-our-idea-and-is-often-deficient-to/) [James Hutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hutton/) > [“It is indeed an opinion strangely prevailing amongst men, that houses, mountains, rivers, and in a word all sensible objects have an existence natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-berkeley/it-is-indeed-an-opinion-strangely-prevailing-amongst-men-that-houses/) [George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-berkeley/) > [When your private life has been dragged into public space, you tend to attain a zen-like composure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalki-koechlin/when-your-private-life-has-been-dragged-into-public-space-you-tend-to/) [Kalki Koechlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalki-koechlin/) > [The key is to be Zen-like and be happy with what one has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-shroff/the-key-is-to-be-zen-like-and-be-happy-with-what-one-has/) [Jackie Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-shroff/) > [To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/to-accept-some-idea-of-truth-without-experiencing-it-is-like-a/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“This would be a Zen-like state of productivity, in which you deal with what’s present from a perspective that is both detached and fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allen/this-would-be-a-zen-like-state-of-productivity-in-which-you-deal-with/) [David Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allen/) > [One view of photography is that it is a zen-like act which captures reality with its pants down - so that the vital click…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/one-view-of-photography-is-that-it-is-a-zen-like-act-which-captures/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) > [ “\[We\] have a tendency during meetings to let our minds run wild and cycle through a plethora of thoughts about the past and the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-a-tendency-during-meetings-to-let-our-minds-run-wild-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Zen is like soap. First you wash with it, and then you wash off the soap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamaoka-tesshu/zen-is-like-soap-first-you-wash-with-it-and-then-you-wash-off-the-soap/) [Yamaoka Tesshu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamaoka-tesshu/) > [There's something Zen-like about the way I work - it's like raking gravel in a Zen Buddhist garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/there-s-something-zen-like-about-the-way-i-work-it-s-like-raking/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## More by David Fontana > [All the great spiritual traditions have placed major emphasis upon meditation as a path to personal growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/all-the-great-spiritual-traditions-have-placed-major-emphasis-upon/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [Consider your own place in the universal oneness of which we are all a part, from which we all arise, and to which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/consider-your-own-place-in-the-universal-oneness-of-which-we-are-all/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [In their pure form, the martial arts demand the intense awareness of the meditative mind, and have nothing to do with anger or wanton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/in-their-pure-form-the-martial-arts-demand-the-intense-awareness-of/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [We live in a supermarket of ideas, faiths, practices, theories, ideologies, and much else besides. Never in human history have there been so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/we-live-in-a-supermarket-of-ideas-faiths-practices-theories/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [Pilgrimages of mind or walking meditation - bringing moments of illumination in which the sense of relationship to the rest of existence suddenly stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/pilgrimages-of-mind-or-walking-meditation-bringing-moments-of/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [The mind is still there even when thoughts are not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/the-mind-is-still-there-even-when-thoughts-are-not/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) > [Even the most mundane objects are things of wonder, if we stop to look at them, and the fact that we are alive is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fontana/even-the-most-mundane-objects-are-things-of-wonder-if-we-stop-to-look/) [David Fontana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) [Explore all 8 David Fontana quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fontana/) ## More Definitions quotes > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. 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Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [my definition of the ideal man is 'that particular man with whom a woman happens to be in love at that particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/my-definition-of-the-ideal-man-is-that-particular-man-with-whom-a/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. 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