Quote

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

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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
Way
Exactly
Think
Please
Thinking
Expression
Mistake
Acting
Whatever
Expressing
Bigs
Express
Best
Fully

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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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A Master who cannot bow to a disciple cannot bow to Buddha.
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You will always exist in the universe in one form or another.
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We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.
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When you do something, if you fix your mind on the activity with some confidence, the quality of your state of mind is the activity itself. When you are concentrated on the quality of your being, you are prepared for the activity.
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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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Take care of things, and they will take care of you.
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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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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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To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.
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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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A flower falls, even though we love it and a weed grows, even though we do not love it....In this way our life should be understood. Then there is no problem.
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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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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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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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In the Lotus Sutra, Buddha says to light up one corner - not the whole world. Just make it clear where you are.
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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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To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.
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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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