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The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty.

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
Thirsty
Drinking
Meditation
Practice
Water
True

More quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

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People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross- legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense.
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Only when you understand people, they may understand you. So even though you do not say anything, if you understand people there is some communication.
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The goal of our life’s effort is to reach the other shore, Nirvana. Prajna paramita, the true wisdom of life, is that in each step of the way, the other shore is actually reached.
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To be different is to have value. In this sense all things have equal, absolute value. Each thing has absolute value and thus is equal to everything else.
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We do not exist for the sake of something else. We exist for the sake of ourselves.
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We try, and we try, and we fail and then we go deeper.
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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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If you were not born in this world, there would be no need to die. To be born in this world is to die, to disappear [laughing].
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Someone was sitting in front of a sunflower, watching the sunflower, a cup of sun, and so I tried it too. It was wonderful I felt the whole universe in the sunflower. That was my experience. Sunflower meditation. A wonderful confidence appeared. You can see the whole universe in a flower.
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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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Concentration comes not from trying hard to focus on something, but from keeping your mind open and directing it at nothing.
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You can't make a date with enlightenment.
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Don't move. Just die over and over. Don't anticipate. Nothing can save you now because you have only this moment. Not even enlightenment will help you now because there are no other moments. With no future, be true to yourself and express yourself fully. Don't move.
Shunryu Suzuki
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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.
Shunryu Suzuki
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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.
Shunryu Suzuki
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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.
Shunryu Suzuki
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Our practice should be based on the ideal of selflessness. Selflessness is very difficult to understand. If you try to be selfless, that is already a selfish idea. Selflessness will be there when you do not try anything.
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We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.
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To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat.
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Religion is not any particular teaching. Religion is everywhere.
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