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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].
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
World
Disappear
Laughing
Dies
Born
Need
Needs
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More quotes by Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.
Shunryu Suzuki
Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time.
Shunryu Suzuki
For Zen students a weed is a treasure. With this attitude, whatever you do, life becomes an art.
Shunryu Suzuki
Instead of criticizing, find out how to help.
Shunryu Suzuki
When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice.
Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything it is open to everything.
Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.
Shunryu Suzuki
The more you practice zazen, the more you will be able to accept something as your own, whatever it is.
Shunryu Suzuki
To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.
Shunryu Suzuki
Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.
Shunryu Suzuki
In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.
Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
A Master who cannot bow to a disciple cannot bow to Buddha.
Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
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.
Shunryu Suzuki
It is only by practicing through a continual succession of agreeable and disagreeable situations that we acquire true strengths. To accept that pain is inherent and to live our lives from this understanding is to create the causes and conditions for happiness.
Shunryu Suzuki
We do not exist for the sake of something else. We exist for the sake of ourselves.
Shunryu Suzuki