--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For Zen students a weed is a treasure…" description: "\"For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.\" — Shunryu Suzuki" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/shunryu-suzuki-1280_art_for-zen-students-a-weed-is-a-treasure-wi_2391320.png" --- # For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude… ![“For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/shunryu-suzuki-1280_art_for-zen-students-a-weed-is-a-treasure-wi_2391320.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/shunryu-suzuki-1280_art_for-zen-students-a-weed-is-a-treasure-wi_2391320.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/shunryu-suzuki-1280_art_for-zen-students-a-weed-is-a-treasure-wi_2391320.png) > “For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Viewing obstacles as valuable transforms effort into an artistic practice. **In simple terms:** Seeing challenges as gifts makes life creative. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth. Themes mindfulness zen creativity Mood calm inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily work - creative projects - personal development Key Concepts attitude perception artistry Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe a current difficulty as a treasure? - What practices help maintain this mindset? A Different Perspective Not all obstacles are easily turned into art; some require external help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-art/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-weed-3815603/) [Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treasure/) [Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed/) [Weed Treasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weed-treasure-3815602/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) [Zen Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zen-students-2118255/) ## Related quotes > [For Zen students, a weed is a treasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/for-zen-students-a-weed-is-a-treasure/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Watermelons and Zen students grow pretty much the same way. Long periods of sitting till they ripen and grow all juicy inside, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-levitt/watermelons-and-zen-students-grow-pretty-much-the-same-way-long/) [Peter Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-levitt/) > [Zen students see themselves as athletes. Their competitive sport is enlightenment; only with enlightenment do we compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-students-see-themselves-as-athletes-their-competitive-sport-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Zen teacher Lewis Richmond tells the story of hearing Shunryu Suzuki sum up Buddhism in two words. Suzuki had just finished giving a talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/zen-teacher-lewis-richmond-tells-the-story-of-hearing-shunryu-suzuki/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [Like all real treasures of the mind, perception can be split into infinitely small fractions without losing its quality. The weeds in a city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/like-all-real-treasures-of-the-mind-perception-can-be-split-into/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [Between the marketplace and government there exists all of that which makes life worth living-family life, spiritual life, the art and culture that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/between-the-marketplace-and-government-there-exists-all-of-that-which/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [...start thinking of yourself as an artist and your life as a work-in-progress. Works-in-progress are never perfect. But changes can be made...Art evolves. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/start-thinking-of-yourself-as-an-artist-and-your-life-as-a-work-in/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [“In Japan, a number of time-honored everyday activities (such as making tea, arranging flowers, and writing) have traditionally been deeply examined by their proponents.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-e-davey/in-japan-a-number-of-time-honored-everyday-activities-such-as-making/) [H.E. Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-e-davey/) > [It is neither Art for Art, nor Art against Art. I am for Art, but for Art that has nothing to do with Art.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/it-is-neither-art-for-art-nor-art-against-art-i-am-for-art-but-for/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [Every article on these islands has an almost personal character, which gives this simple life, where all art is unknown, something of the artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/every-article-on-these-islands-has-an-almost-personal-character-which/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [Life is art's rival and vice versa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/life-is-art-s-rival-and-vice-versa/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [To approach a city, or even a city neighborhood, as if it were a larger architectural problem, capable of being given order by converting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/to-approach-a-city-or-even-a-city-neighborhood-as-if-it-were-a-larger/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [If creating life is art, then living and dying must be poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-jane-andrews-hoey/if-creating-life-is-art-then-living-and-dying-must-be-poetry/) [Bethany Jane Andrews Hoey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-jane-andrews-hoey/) > [Design should do the same thing in everyday life that art does when encountered: amaze us, scare us or delight us, but certainly open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-betsky/design-should-do-the-same-thing-in-everyday-life-that-art-does-when/) [Aaron Betsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-betsky/) > [Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is great matter. Art is an organ of human life, transmitting man's reasonable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-is-not-a-pleasure-a-solace-or-an-amusement-art-is-great-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Shunryu Suzuki > [The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-point-we-emphasize-is-strong-confidence-in-our-original-nature/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/if-you-continue-this-simple-practice-every-day-you-will-obtain-some/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-want-to-eliminate-your-evil-desires-in-order-to-reveal-your/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/ego-is-a-social-institution-with-no-physical-reality-the-ego-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/in-the-beginner-s-mind-there-are-many-possibilities-in-the-experts/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-seed-has-no-idea-of-being-some-particular-plant-but-it-has-its/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/whereever-you-are-you-are-one-with-the-clouds-and-one-with-the-sun/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/when-we-become-truly-ourselves-we-just-become-a-swinging-door-and-we/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/so-the-secret-is-just-to-say-yes-and-jump-off-from-here-then-there-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/our-tendency-is-to-be-interested-in-something-that-is-growing-in-the/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The world is its own magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-world-is-its-own-magic/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/people-say-that-practicing-zen-is-difficult-but-there-is-a/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/each-one-of-us-must-make-his-own-true-way-and-when-we-do-that-way/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-purpose-of-our-practice-is-just-to-be-yourself/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) [Explore all 262 Shunryu Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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