--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life and death are nothing but the mind…" description: "\"Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months, days, and hours are nothing but the mind. Dreams, illusions, and mirages are nothing but the mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/dogen-2979_autumn_life-and-death-are-nothing-but-the-mind_1909172.jpg" --- # Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months… ![“Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months, days, and hours are nothing but the mind. Dreams, illusions, and mirages are nothing but the mind. The bubbles of water and the flames of fire are nothing but the mind. The flowers of the spring and the moon of the autumn are nothing but the…” quote by Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/dogen-2979_autumn_life-and-death-are-nothing-but-the-mind_1909172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/dogen-2979_autumn_life-and-death-are-nothing-but-the-mind_1909172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/136/dogen-2979_autumn_life-and-death-are-nothing-but-the-mind_1909172.jpg) > “Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months, days, and hours are nothing but the mind. Dreams, illusions, and mirages are nothing but the mind. The bubbles of water and the flames of fire are nothing but the mind. The flowers of the spring and the moon of the autumn are nothing but the mind. Confusions and dangers are nothing but the mind.” [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. All experiences and phenomena are mental projections; reality is shaped by perception. **In simple terms:** Everything is mind. Key Takeaway Recognize the mind’s role in shaping experience. Themes spirituality mindfulness impermanence Mood calm contemplative Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - stress reduction - creative visualization Key Concepts non-duality emptiness Zen Buddhism Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing through the mind change your reactions? - Can you observe thoughts without attachment? A Different Perspective Perception can be limited by personal biases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [Regard this fleeting world like this: Like stars fading and vanishing at dawn, like bubbles on a fast-moving stream, like morning dewdrops evaporating on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/regard-this-fleeting-world-like-this-like-stars-fading-and-vanishing/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Elena didn’t look away—she’d rather face death than have her mind invaded, for what was that if not another form of crawling?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/elena-didn-t-look-away-she-d-rather-face-death-than-have-her-mind/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [You may die a hundred deaths without a break in the mental turmoil. Or, you may keep your body and die only in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-may-die-a-hundred-deaths-without-a-break-in-the-mental-turmoil-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One finds life through conquering the fear of death within one's mind. Empty the mind of all forms of attachment, make a go-for-broke charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takenaka-shigekata/one-finds-life-through-conquering-the-fear-of-death-within-one-s-mind/) Takenaka Shigekata > [Whatever thought grips the mind at the time of death is the one which will propel it and decide for it the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/whatever-thought-grips-the-mind-at-the-time-of-death-is-the-one-which/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [“A mind can be lost without its owner's death. A mind that no longer questions only fulfills the rudimentary aspects of its function.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hanagarne/a-mind-can-be-lost-without-its-owner-s-death-a-mind-that-no-longer/) [Josh Hanagarne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hanagarne/) > [Meditation means keeping one mind. You must understand - what is life? What is death? If you keep one mind, there is no life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seung-sahn/meditation-means-keeping-one-mind-you-must-understand-what-is-life/) [Seung Sahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seung-sahn/) > [Death in my mind isn't a finality. There's a continuum: It's like at night, you go to sleep and in the daytime you wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/death-in-my-mind-isn-t-a-finality-there-s-a-continuum-it-s-like-at/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [Whole idea is really intriguing to me. If you took snapshots of ourselves throughout the day, the way that our mind is twisting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whole-idea-is-really-intriguing-to-me-if-you-took-snapshots-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“What’s the difference what you watch?” Praeger shot back. “When that stream of hypnotic electrons starts winging into your brain, you’re finished, good-as-gone, condemned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/what-s-the-difference-what-you-watch-praeger-shot-back-when-that/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [When the mind has a tendency to dream, it is a mistake to keep dreams away from it, to ration its dreams. So long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/when-the-mind-has-a-tendency-to-dream-it-is-a-mistake-to-keep-dreams/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [In the drowsy dark cave of the mind dreams build their nest with fragments dropped from day's caravan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/in-the-drowsy-dark-cave-of-the-mind-dreams-build-their-nest-with/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Your soul dreams those dreams; not your body, not your mind. Those dreams come true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thunderbird/your-soul-dreams-those-dreams-not-your-body-not-your-mind-those/) John Thunderbird > [“You’ve sufficiently invaded every part of me, Alexis; my heart, my mind, and now my dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-chamberlin/you-ve-sufficiently-invaded-every-part-of-me-alexis-my-heart-my-mind/) [Lindsay Chamberlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-chamberlin/) ## More by Dogen > [The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/the-whole-moon-and-the-entire-sky-are-reflected-in-one-dewdrop-on-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/just-as-parents-care-for-their-children-you-should-bear-in-mind-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/yet-you-must-not-cling-to-the-words-of-the-old-sages-either-they-too/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Set aside all involvements and let the myriad things rest. Zazen is not thinking of good, not thinking of bad. It is not conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/set-aside-all-involvements-and-let-the-myriad-things-rest-zazen-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Though it has no thought of keeping watch, it's not for naught that the scarecrow stands in the grain field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/though-it-has-no-thought-of-keeping-watch-it-s-not-for-naught-that/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Continuous practice, day after day, is the most appropriate way of expressing gratitude. This means that you practice continuously, without wasting a single day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/continuous-practice-day-after-day-is-the-most-appropriate-way-of/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Whenever learners or those beyond learning awaken the mind, for the first time they plant one buddha-nature. Working with the four elements and five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/whenever-learners-or-those-beyond-learning-awaken-the-mind-for-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Realization doesn't destroy the individual any more than the reflection of the moon breaks a drop of water. A drop of water can reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/realization-doesn-t-destroy-the-individual-any-more-than-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“If you attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment, all sentient beings also attain it. The reason is that all sentient beings are aspects of enlightenment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-attain-unsurpassable-complete-enlightenment-all-sentient/) [Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/to-study-the-way-is-to-study-the-self-to-study-the-self-is-to-forget/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“Every man possesses the Buddha-nature. Do not demean yourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/every-man-possesses-the-buddha-nature-do-not-demean-yourselves/) [Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Because mountains are high and broad, the way of riding the clouds is always reached in the mountains; the inconceivable power of soaring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/because-mountains-are-high-and-broad-the-way-of-riding-the-clouds-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/working-with-plants-trees-fences-and-walls-if-they-practice-sincerely/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) [Explore all 143 Dogen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) ## More Autumn quotes > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [The American spring is by no means so agreeable as the American autumn; both move with faltering step, and slow; but this lingering pace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-trollope/the-american-spring-is-by-no-means-so-agreeable-as-the-american/) [Frances Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-trollope/) > [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“FALL I've never liked orange not even a hint of yellow though that doesn't mean I'm derange, you know. but it's still a riddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kynna-claire/fall-i-ve-never-liked-orange-not-even-a-hint-of-yellow-though-that/) Kynna Claire > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [The measured blood beats out the year's delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/the-measured-blood-beats-out-the-year-s-delay/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/you-know-how-this-is-if-i-look-at-the-crystal-moon-at-the-red-branch/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-found-himself-wondering-at-times-especially-in-the-autumn-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Easter blessings All life’s sacrifices like autumn leaves awaken our senses and power to love and be whole Our Mother Earth, Our Father Sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/easter-blessings-all-life-s-sacrifices-like-autumn-leaves-awaken-our/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [The lush green of the fields became a rich gold that swayed sturdily under the wind and fell at last before the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/the-lush-green-of-the-fields-became-a-rich-gold-that-swayed-sturdily/) [Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [“Autumn eats its leaf out of my hand: we are friends. From the nuts we shell time and we teach it to walk: then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-celan/autumn-eats-its-leaf-out-of-my-hand-we-are-friends-from-the-nuts-we/) [Paul Celan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-celan/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [We must learn to do economic work from all who know how, no matter who they are. We must esteem them as teachers, learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/we-must-learn-to-do-economic-work-from-all-who-know-how-no-matter-who/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) [Browse all 1,210 Autumn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autumn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months, days, and hours are nothing but the mind. Dreams, illusions, and mirages are nothing but the mind. The bubbles of water and the flames of fire are nothing but the mind. The flowers of the spring and the moon of the autumn are nothing but the mind. 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