--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I had studied Chan for thirty…" description: "\"“Before I had studied Chan for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/qingyuan-weixin-270655_thirty-years_before-i-had-studied-chan-for-thirty-yea_1575743.jpg" --- # Before I had studied Chan for thirty years, I saw… ![“Before I had studied Chan for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For…” quote by Qingyuan Weixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/qingyuan-weixin-270655_thirty-years_before-i-had-studied-chan-for-thirty-yea_1575743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/qingyuan-weixin-270655_thirty-years_before-i-had-studied-chan-for-thirty-yea_1575743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/qingyuan-weixin-270655_thirty-years_before-i-had-studied-chan-for-thirty-yea_1575743.jpg) > ““Before I had studied Chan for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and rivers once again as rivers.”” Qingyuan Weixin ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After decades of meditation, the practitioner sees the world directly, beyond conceptual labels, achieving peace in true perception. **In simple terms:** Seeing things as they are brings inner calm. Key Takeaway Practice deep observation to transcend labels. Themes spirituality mindfulness perception peace Mood reflective tranquil philosophical Type Mountains:1 Thirty years:1 Mountains Mountains:0 Mountains Rivers:0 Just Mountains:0 Studied Chan:0 When to use this quote - meditation retreats - daily mindfulness - teaching sessions Key Concepts Chan Buddhism non-dual awareness inner stillness Questions to Reflect On - What labels limit your perception? - How can you experience direct awareness? A Different Perspective Understanding may be elusive without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) ## Related quotes > [Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-ching-yuen/before-i-had-studied-zen-for-thirty-years-i-saw-mountains-as/) Li Ching-Yuen > [“Beyond mountains there are mountains.” - Haitian proverb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/beyond-mountains-there-are-mountains-haitian-proverb/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [How I want to see the mountains, rivers, sunshine, and ruined fortresses! Let the wind course over us until we become beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mian-mian/how-i-want-to-see-the-mountains-rivers-sunshine-and-ruined-fortresses/) [Mian Mian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mian-mian/) > [Mountains and rivers are easy to move, but it's impossible to change a man's nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-xianliang/mountains-and-rivers-are-easy-to-move-but-it-s-impossible-to-change-a/) Zhang Xianliang > [“Forests, hills, mountains, rivers, and green streams had no protection in the face of rapacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-caldwell/forests-hills-mountains-rivers-and-green-streams-had-no-protection-in/) [Taylor Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-caldwell/) > [I love just how beautiful Vancouver is. I mean, everywhere you look it's just mountains and ocean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-bell/i-love-just-how-beautiful-vancouver-is-i-mean-everywhere-you-look-it/) [Emma Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-bell/) > [Faith, indeed, has up to the present not been able to move real mountains… But it can put mountains where there are none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-indeed-has-up-to-the-present-not-been-able-to-move-real-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The view reminded of the Haitain proverb "Beyond mountains there are mountains" which meant that when you'd solved one problem, you couldn't rest because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/the-view-reminded-of-the-haitain-proverb-beyond-mountains-there-are/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [They say behind mountains are more mountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/they-say-behind-mountains-are-more-mountains/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [Clearly I know, the mind is mountains, rivers, and the great earth; sun, moon, and stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/clearly-i-know-the-mind-is-mountains-rivers-and-the-great-earth-sun/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Over The Mountains, Beyond The rivers There Is a rainbow Shining To Be discovered...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamar/over-the-mountains-beyond-the-rivers-there-is-a-rainbow-shining-to-be/) Tamar > [“Though the nation is lost, the mountains and rivers remain" - Tu Fu”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/though-the-nation-is-lost-the-mountains-and-rivers-remain-tu-fu/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [My engagement with mountains, rivers, and forests has been right from my childhood. I have lived in the jungles by myself; I have floated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/my-engagement-with-mountains-rivers-and-forests-has-been-right-from/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [I like geography best, he said, because your mountains & rivers know the secret. Pay no attention to boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/i-like-geography-best-he-said-because-your-mountains-rivers-know-the/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) ## More Mountains quotes > [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [Cities are natural, that's why they're everywhere. It's not like there's only one city, and everybody's like 'What the f\*\*k is this?' No, cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/cities-are-natural-that-s-why-they-re-everywhere-it-s-not-like-there/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [Righteousness and faith certainly are instrumental in moving mountains - if moving mountains accomplishes God's purposes and is in accordance with His will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/righteousness-and-faith-certainly-are-instrumental-in-moving/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/) [Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/) > [Poverty and backwardness in the midst of clear waters and verdant mountains is no good, nor is it to have prosperity and wealth while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/poverty-and-backwardness-in-the-midst-of-clear-waters-and-verdant/) [Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/) > [Know how to get close to it: mountains are often seen from far off - beautiful, interesting, full of challenges. But what happens when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/know-how-to-get-close-to-it-mountains-are-often-seen-from-far-off/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Flagstaff, up in the mountains where I lived, there is 130 inches of snow a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howland/flagstaff-up-in-the-mountains-where-i-lived-there-is-130-inches-of/) [Ben Howland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howland/) > [“The trout is still with me, as are my memories. The future is somewhere between these two forces, but it lives in mystery. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-rice/the-trout-is-still-with-me-as-are-my-memories-the-future-is-somewhere/) [Daniel J. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-rice/) > [The mountains of today are the molehills of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-peters/the-mountains-of-today-are-the-molehills-of-tomorrow/) [Ellis Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-peters/) > [The Lord often has his prophets climb mountains to converse with Him. I always wondered why He did that, and now I know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-lord-often-has-his-prophets-climb-mountains-to-converse-with-him/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“All mountain landscapes hold stories: the ones we read, the ones we dream, and the ones we create. -from the Editor's Note, The Alpinist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kennedy/all-mountain-landscapes-hold-stories-the-ones-we-read-the-ones-we/) [Michael Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kennedy/) > [At last I feel identified with the mountains, clean, cold, hard, detached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/at-last-i-feel-identified-with-the-mountains-clean-cold-hard-detached/) [Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/) > [Lots of times, people go to the mountains and feel like it's not cool to wear a beanie and goggles and neck gaiter. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-bleiler/lots-of-times-people-go-to-the-mountains-and-feel-like-it-s-not-cool/) [Gretchen Bleiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-bleiler/) > [“Fuck anybody who’d call a hill a mountain and name it after themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-d-aliwat/fuck-anybody-who-d-call-a-hill-a-mountain-and-name-it-after-themselves/) [A.D. Aliwat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-d-aliwat/) > [“Perhaps there’s no better act of simplification than climbing a mountain. For an afternoon, a day, or a week, it’s a way of reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/perhaps-there-s-no-better-act-of-simplification-than-climbing-a/) [Ken Ilgunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ilgunas/) [Browse all 864 Mountains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Before I had studied Chan for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and rivers as rivers. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and rivers are not rivers. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. 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