Quote

True communication depends upon our being straightforward with one another... But the best way to communicate may be just to sit without saying anything.

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
Another
True
Anything
Straightforward
May
Communicate
Best
Communication
Without
Depends
Way
Saying
Upon

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A Master who cannot bow to a disciple cannot bow to Buddha.
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The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.
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The way that helps will not be the same it changes according to the situation.
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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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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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To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.
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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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Bowing is a very serious practice. You should be prepared to bow, even in your last moment. even though it is impossible to get rid of our self-centered desires, we have to do it. Our true nature wants us to.
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Let your ears hear without trying to hear. Let the mind think without trying to think and without trying to stop it. That is practice.
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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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In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
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When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything. The best way is to understand yourself, and then you will understand everything.
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For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.
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When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything.
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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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Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.
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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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Meditation opens the mind to the greatest mystery that takes place daily and hourly it widens the heart so that it may feel the eternity of time and infinity of space in every throb it gives us a life within the world as if we were moving about in paradise.
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There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment.
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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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