From http://www.oneproverb.net
Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.
BashoAn autumn night… don’t think your life, didn’t matter.
BashoThere is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.
BashoAt any given moment, I open my eyes and exist. And before that, during all eternity, what was there? Nothing.
Ugo BettiThe torch of doubt and chaos, this is what the sage steers by.
Chuang-tzuTo a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Chuang-TzuIf you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
DogenZazen is itself enlightenment.
DogenThe whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DogenThere is no beginning to practice nor end to enlightenment; There is no beginning to enlightenment nor end to practice.
DogenAnd the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.
T.S. EliotWhen you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much.
Fen-YangShould you desire great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.
HakuinZen: Seeing into one’s own nature.
Hui-nengHow do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?
koanIt is better to practice a little than talk a lot.
Muso KokushiA journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao TzuWe shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
Lao TzuSo little time, so little to do.
Oscar LevantThe only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
Robert M. PirsigThe fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.
Yasutani RoshiThe quieter you become, the more you can hear.
Baba Ram DassNatural and super-natural, temporal and eternal - continuums, not absolutes.
Albert Schweitzer (paraphrase)You must neither strive for truth nor seek to lose your illusions.
The ShodokaWe have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen.
D. T. SuzukiAs long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.
Shunryu SuzukiZen is not some kind of excitement, but merely concentration on our usual everyday routine.
Shunkyu SuzukiIn the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.
Shunryu SuzukiThe most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.
Shunryu SuzukiLife is like stepping onto a boat that is about to sail out to sea and sink.
Shunryu SuzukiMy heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.
Sayen ShakuTo set up what you like against what you don’t like — this is the disease of the mind.
Sheng-ts’anNo yesterday, no tomorrow, and no today.
Sheng-ts’anDon’t seek reality, just put an end to opinions.
Sheng-ts’anWhen you get there, there isn’t any there there.
Gertrude SteinWater which is too pure has no fish.
Ts’ai Ken T’anNothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise.
Alan WattsLet the dead bury the dead.
Western KoanWhat does mysticism mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It’s close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.
Elie WieselTen thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.
Wu-menSince it is all too clear
It takes time to grasp it.
When you understand that it’s foolish to look for fire with fire,
The meal is already cooked.
Wu-men




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