--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The longness and shortness of the present…" description: "\"“The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon, which is reflecting on the surface of the oce..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg" --- # The longness and shortness of the present moment can be… ![“The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon, which is reflecting on the surface of the ocean, and a small image of the moon on the surface of a cup of water, or in another example the very wide scale of the whole sky itself, and the very…” quote by Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg) > ““The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon, which is reflecting on the surface of the ocean, and a small image of the moon on the surface of a cup of water, or in another example the very wide scale of the whole sky itself, and the very narrow space of the moon, which is shining in the sky.”” [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The present moment can be understood by comparing vast and tiny reflections of the moon, illustrating how scale shifts perception of time and experience. **In simple terms:** Seeing big and small moon images shows how we perceive time. Key Takeaway Use perspective shifts to grasp the fleeting nature of now. Themes mindfulness perception time scale philosophy Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - nature observation - artistic reflection - spiritual practice Key Concepts Zen relativism consciousness Questions to Reflect On - How does changing scale alter your sense of urgency? - Can visual metaphors help you stay present? A Different Perspective May be abstract for practical daily use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Suddenly, I was just sure he was going to kiss me. He was there, I could feel his breath, the ground solid beneath us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/suddenly-i-was-just-sure-he-was-going-to-kiss-me-he-was-there-i-could/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/never-forget-that-once-upon-a-time-in-an-unguarded-moment-you/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Knowledge about the moon's surface is not based on and derived from mountains and craters but from factual statements about mountains and craters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/knowledge-about-the-moon-s-surface-is-not-based-on-and-derived-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ The \[Moon\] surface is fine and powdery. I can kick it up loosely with my toe. It does adhere in fine layers like powdered… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/the-moon-surface-is-fine-and-powdery-i-can-kick-it-up-loosely-with-my/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [“There is no separation in consciousness" Soul Moon Shining”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnjwillard/there-is-no-separation-in-consciousness-soul-moon-shining/) johnjwillard > [“Don't tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass." - Anton Chekhov”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-rosenberg/don-t-tell-me-the-moon-is-shining-show-me-the-glint-of-light-on/) Allen Rosenberg > [“Well, at least this is what I told myself every day as I fell asleep with the fire still burning and the moon shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/well-at-least-this-is-what-i-told-myself-every-day-as-i-fell-asleep/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [“The moon is shining brighter tonight, touching the entire village with its soft silver light; the houses are half awake and the sky is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-teixeira/the-moon-is-shining-brighter-tonight-touching-the-entire-village-with/) Rita Teixeira > [“You can also imagine a moon shining even if there wasn’t a moon, even if I imagined there was a moon lighting up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landis-everson/you-can-also-imagine-a-moon-shining-even-if-there-wasn-t-a-moon-even/) [Landis Everson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landis-everson/) > [So, now I shall talk every night. To myself. To the moon. I shall walk, as I did tonight, jealous of my loneliness, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/so-now-i-shall-talk-every-night-to-myself-to-the-moon-i-shall-walk-as/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Silver moon shining on my bed beside my pillow. Light the pathway to bring that man to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-belle/silver-moon-shining-on-my-bed-beside-my-pillow-light-the-pathway-to/) [Regina Belle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-belle/) > [Mary awoke from her nightmare with a pounding heart, convinced that she had only imagined Elizabeth's cruel plot. A full moon was shining into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-george/mary-awoke-from-her-nightmare-with-a-pounding-heart-convinced-that/) [Margaret George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-george/) > [Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on the broken glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/don-t-tell-me-the-moon-is-shining-show-me-the-glint-of-light-on-the/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“The sun was shining on the sea, Shining with all his might: He did his very best to make The billows smooth and bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/the-sun-was-shining-on-the-sea-shining-with-all-his-might-he-did-his-2/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“It tears my heart just as my heart is torn when on certain nights I watch the full moon shining on the lagoon from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-tears-my-heart-just-as-my-heart-is-torn-when-on-certain-nights-i/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) ## More by Dogen Zenji > [“At the moment of giving birth to a child, is the mother separate from the child? You should study not only that you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/at-the-moment-of-giving-birth-to-a-child-is-the-mother-separate-from/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“It's too late to be ready.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/it-s-too-late-to-be-ready/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“You should not be esteemed by others if you have no real inner virtue. People here in Japan esteem others on the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/you-should-not-be-esteemed-by-others-if-you-have-no-real-inner-virtue/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you study a lot because you are worried that others will think badly of you for being ignorant and you'll feel stupid, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-study-a-lot-because-you-are-worried-that-others-will-think/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you have compassion and are imbued with the spirit of the Way, it is of no consequence to be criticized, even reviled, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-have-compassion-and-are-imbued-with-the-spirit-of-the-way-it/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-can-not-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do-you/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [“Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/your-body-is-like-a-dew-drop-on-the-morning-grass-your-life-is-as-2/) [Dōgen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) [Explore all 8 Dogen Zenji quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) ## More Moon quotes > [“Because as the moon followed the sun, when Illium ascended to become an archangel, Aodhan would go with him as his second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/because-as-the-moon-followed-the-sun-when-illium-ascended-to-become/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [The moon of a bright silver, which dazzles by its shining, illumines a world which surely is no longer ours; for it resembles in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-loti/the-moon-of-a-bright-silver-which-dazzles-by-its-shining-illumines-a/) [Pierre Loti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-loti/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) Sylviek > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If we can send a guy to the moon we can certainly go a quarter of a mile and not get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-prudhomme/if-we-can-send-a-guy-to-the-moon-we-can-certainly-go-a-quarter-of-a/) Don Prudhomme > [Never ignore a person who love you, care fot you,and misses you,because one day,you might wake up and realize, you lost the moon while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chou/never-ignore-a-person-who-love-you-care-fot-you-and-misses-you/) Chou > [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-sky-was-a-sparkling-succession-of-black-diamonds-on-black-velvet/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) [Browse all 6,418 Moon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon, which is reflecting on the surface of the ocean, and a small image of the moon on the surface of a cup of water, or in another example the very wide scale of the whole sky itself, and the very narrow space of the moon, which is shining in the sky.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dogen Zenji" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-present-moment-can-be-recognized-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Moon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-present-moment-can-be-recognized-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/dogen-zenji-46748_present-moment_the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-presen_185896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The longness and shortness of the present moment can be recognized by utilizing a big image of the moon…” — Dogen Zenji", "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": "Dogen Zenji", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The longness and shortness of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-present-moment-can-be-recognized-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/the-longness-and-shortness-of-the-present-moment-can-be-recognized-by/#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 } } ] } ```