Quote

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

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Shunryu Suzuki
Age: 67 †
Born: 1904
Born: May 18
Died: 1971
Died: December 4
Bhikkhu
Leader
Missionary
Philosopher
Writer
Atlanta
Georgia
Naturalness
Previous
Study
Practice
Forget
Experience
Ideas
Kind

More quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

Image
Moment after moment everything comes out of nothingness. This is the true joy of life.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
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
Image
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after you attain it, it is nothing special.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
From True Emptiness The Wondrous Being Appears
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
It is a big mistake to think that the best way to express yourself is to do whatever you want, acting as you please. This is not expressing yourself. If you know what to do exactly, and you do it, then you can express yourself fully.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
When you sit, everything sits with you.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
We try, and we try, and we fail and then we go deeper.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
In the zazen posture, your mind and body have, great power to accept things as they are, whether agreeable or disagreeable.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
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].
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
To cook is not just to prepare food for someone or to cook for yourself it is to express your sincerity. So when you cook you should express yourself in your activity in the kitchen. You should allow yourself plenty of time.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
If you want to read a letter from the Buddha's world, it is necessary to understand Buddha's world.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
Zen is everywhere.... But for you, Zen is right here.
Shunryu Suzuki
Image
Religion is not any particular teaching. Religion is everywhere.
Shunryu Suzuki