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When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice.

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
Restrictions
Restriction
Limit
Limits
Practice
Mean

More quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

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There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment.
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The highest truth is daiji, translated as dai jiki in Chinese scriptures. This is the subject of the question the emperor asked Bodhidharma: What is the First Principle? Bodhidharma said, I don't know. I don't know is the First Principle.
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Life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore, nor actual difficulty in our life.
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If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything it is open to everything.
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True communication depends upon our being straightforward with one another... But the best way to communicate may be just to sit without saying anything.
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Moment after moment everything comes out of nothingness. This is the true joy of life.
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Because all existence is founded upon the ever-present state of union, everything already exists in a state of tranquility. However, this state of tranquility is masked from us by our assumption that there is a separation, that there is a problem.
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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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Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.
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There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity.
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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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You can't make a date with enlightenment.
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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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Nothing outside yourself can cause any trouble. You yourself make the waves in your mind. If you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm. This mind is called big mind.
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Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea.
Shunryu Suzuki
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The secret of Soto Zen is just two words: not always so.... In Japanese, it's two words, three words in English. That is the secret of our practice.
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The more you practice zazen, the more you will be able to accept something as your own, whatever it is.
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In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki
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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.
Shunryu Suzuki
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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