--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In zazen practice we say your mind should…" description: "\"“In zazen practice we say your mind should be concentrated on your breathing, but the way to keep your mind on your breathing is to forget all about yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/shunryu-suzuki-1280_meditation_in-zazen-practice-we-say-your-mind-shoul_1621878.jpg" --- # In zazen practice we say your mind should be concentrated… ![“In zazen practice we say your mind should be concentrated on your breathing, but the way to keep your mind on your breathing is to forget all about yourself and just to sit and feel your breathing.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/shunryu-suzuki-1280_meditation_in-zazen-practice-we-say-your-mind-shoul_1621878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/shunryu-suzuki-1280_meditation_in-zazen-practice-we-say-your-mind-shoul_1621878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30f/shunryu-suzuki-1280_meditation_in-zazen-practice-we-say-your-mind-shoul_1621878.jpg) > ““In zazen practice we say your mind should be concentrated on your breathing, but the way to keep your mind on your breathing is to forget all about yourself and just to sit and feel your breathing.”” [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. Focus on breath by letting go of self, achieving deep concentration through simple sitting meditation. **In simple terms:** Forget self, feel breath. Key Takeaway Sit, breathe, release self. Themes mindfulness meditation selflessness Mood calm reflective Type instructional spiritual When to use this quote - daily meditation - stress relief - mindful walking - yoga practice Key Concepts Zen concentration presence Questions to Reflect On - How does letting go of self aid concentration? - What obstacles arise when trying to forget yourself? A Different Perspective May be difficult for restless minds to maintain focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“But the way of practice is just to be concentrated on your breathing with the right posture and with great, pure effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/but-the-way-of-practice-is-just-to-be-concentrated-on-your-breathing/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Zazen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. 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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/) ## 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. 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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 Meditation quotes > [“Inside every pause lived a contemplation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/inside-every-pause-lived-a-contemplation/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. 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If you love yourself you will introspect and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/unless-and-until-you-introspect-you-cannot-even-respect-yourself-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. 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