Quote

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.

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
Goal
Nirvana
Actually
Shore
True
Reached
Way
Reach
Life
Step
Steps
Effort
Wisdom

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The secret of zen is just two words: not... always... so.
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Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.
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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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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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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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We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.
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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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It is easy to have calmness in inactivity, it is hard to have calmness in activity, but calmness in activity is true calmness.
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We must exist right here, right now!
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An enlightened person does not ignore things and does not stick to things, not even to the truth.
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The world is its own magic.
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Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.
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To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him.
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Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time.
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Happiness is sorrow sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different, in essence they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us.
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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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In your everyday life you always have opportunities for enlightenment. If you go to the rest room, there is a chance to attain enlightenment. When you cook, there is a chance to attain enlightenment. When you clean the floor, there is a chance to attain enlightenment.
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When you sit, everything sits with you.
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