Zen Buddhism focuses on experiencing life just as it is, without the habitual mental structures that form a barrier between us and the direct experience of the present moment. The word ‘Zen’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dyyana’, meaning “meditation.” The following quotes express the riches to be found within an awareness of the present moment.

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1
“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”  (Shunryu Suzuki)

2
“If you understand, things are just as they are. If you do not understand, things are just as they are.” (Zen Saying)

3
“We must have beginner’s mind, free from possessing anything, a mind that knows everything is in flowing change. Nothing exists but momentarily in its present form and color. One thing flows into another and cannot be grasped.”  (Shunryu Suzuki)

4
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”  (Zen Saying)

5
“A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.”  (Dogen)

6
“If you want to understand Zen easily, just be mindless, wherever you are, twenty-four hours a day, until you spontaneously merge with the Way. This is what an ancient worthy called ‘the mind not touching things, the steps not placed anywhere.’ ”  (Ying-an)

7
“Treading along in this dreamlike, illusory realm
Without looking for the traces I may have left,
A cuckoo’s song beckons me to return home.
Hearing this, I tilt my head to see
Who has told me to turn back.
But do not ask me where I am going,
As I travel in this limitless world
Where every step I take is my home.”
(Dogen)

8
“When you let go, the dharma fills your hands.”
(Dogen)

9
“Every single thing is just the One Mind. When you have perceived this, you will have mounted the Chariot of the Buddhas.”  (Huang Po)

10
“Awakening is where there is
No birth, no extinction;
It is seeing into the
State of Suchness,
Absolutely transcending
All categories constructed by mind.”
(Lankavatara Sutra)

11
“In the stillness by the empty window
I sit in formal meditation wearing my monk’s surplice,
Navel and nose in alignment
Ears parallel with shoulders.
Moonlight floods the room;
The rain stops, but the eaves drip and drip.
Perfect this moment
In the vast emptiness, my understanding deepens.”
(Ryokan Taigu, 1758-1831)

12
“Now that I’ve shed my skin completely,
One true reality alone exists.”
(from A Zen Phrase Anthology)

13
“To return to your original state of being,
You must become a master of stillness…
Enter a state
Of objectless awareness…
Contemplate the inner radiance.”
(Anonymous)

14
“Beyond, beyond, totally beyond, perfectly beyond: Awakening … Yes!”
(Heart Sutra)

15
“Blend your spirit with the vastness.”
(Chuang-tzu)

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SOURCES

1.  www.dailyzen.com.

2.  Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary, tr., The Blue Cliff Record (Boston, Shambhala Publications, 1977).

3.  Frederick Franck / R.H. Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics, Selections from R.H. Blyth, compiled by Frederick Franck (New York, Random House Inc., 1978).

4.  Isshu Miura and Ruth Fuller Sasaki, The Zen Koan (San Diego and New York, Harbort Brace & Company, 1965).

5.  Huang Po, tr. John Blofeld, Zen Teaching of Huang Po (New York, Grove Weidenfeld, 1958).

6.  David Schiller, ed., The Little Zen Companion (New York, Workman Publishing, 1994).

7.  Imgard Schloegl, The Wisdom of the Zen Masters (New York, New Directions Books, 1975).

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