Quote

To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.

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
Important
Thing
Way
Intentional
Adjusting
Fancy
Express
Without

More quotes by Shunryu Suzuki

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When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice.
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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.
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The world is its own magic.
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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.
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Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea.
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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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So when you try hard to make your own way, you will help others...before you make your own way you cannot help anyone, and no one can help you.
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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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If you want to enjoy the movie, you should know that it is the combination of film and light and white screen, and that the most important thing is to have a plain, white screen.
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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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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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The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty.
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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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We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.
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If you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall.
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No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea.
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Things are always changing, so nothing can be yours.
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When he bowed to all those buddhas, the buddhas he bowed to were beyond his own understanding. Again and again he did it.
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Our mind should be free from traces of the past, just like the flowers of spring.
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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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