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When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

Shunryu Suzuki

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Shunryu Suzuki
Age: 67 †
Born: 1904
Born: May 18
Died: 1971
Died: December 4
Bhikkhu
Leader
Missionary
Philosopher
Writer
Atlanta
Georgia
Leaving
Completely
Effort
Something
Good
Like
Bonfire
Trace
Burn

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You see something or hear a sound, and there you have everything just as it is. [...] Whatever you do, it should be an expression of the same deep activity. We should appreciate what we are doing. There is no preparation for something else.
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Instead of respecting things, we want to use them for ourselves and if it is difficult to use them, we want to conquer them.
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Our mind should be free from traces of the past, just like the flowers of spring.
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To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.
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Instead of criticizing, find out how to help.
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Discipline is creating the situation.
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All descriptions of reality are limited expressions of the world of emptiness. Yet we attach to the descriptions and think they are reality. That is a mistake.
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If you want to study Zen, you should forget all your previous ideas and just practice zazen and see what kind of experience you have in your practice. That is naturalness.
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From True Emptiness The Wondrous Being Appears
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There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment.
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When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice.
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Zazen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking, for a human being, there is no other practice than this practice there is no other way of life than this way of life.
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When you do something, if you fix your mind on the activity with some confidence, the quality of your state of mind is the activity itself. When you are concentrated on the quality of your being, you are prepared for the activity.
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In the zazen posture, your mind and body have, great power to accept things as they are, whether agreeable or disagreeable.
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In the Lotus Sutra, Buddha says to light up one corner - not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are.
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The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty.
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If you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall.
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It is wisdom that is seeking for wisdom.
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We do not slight the idea of enlightenment, but the most important thing is this moment, not some day in the future. We have to make our effort in this moment. This is the most important thing for our practice.
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