Zen Moments Quotes
In this blog post I will look at the Zen Moments Quotes. These quotes highlight the sound principles of the Zen teachings and how anyone can learn to make the Zen practice a central theme in their life if they want to enjoy the benefits of being present and calm in a chaotic world.
However before we delve into the Zen Moments Quotes, let’s try and understand the Zen practice and its meaning.
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What Is The Meaning of Zen?
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the 6th century CE and later spread to other East Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. It is characterized by its emphasis on direct experience and intuition as a means to attain enlightenment or awakening.
At its core, Zen is a practice-oriented tradition that focuses on meditation (known as zazen) and the cultivation of mindfulness. Zen teachings aim to help individuals transcend the dualistic thinking and conceptualization that often dominate their perception of reality. The ultimate goal of Zen practice is to directly experience one’s true nature or “Buddha nature” and realize one’s inherent enlightenment.
One of the central teachings in Zen is the concept of “emptiness” or “emptiness of inherent existence” (shunyata). It refers to the idea that all phenomena, including thoughts, emotions, and material objects, lack a fixed or independent existence. Instead, they are interconnected and interdependent, constantly changing and arising in response to causes and conditions. The realization of emptiness is considered crucial in Zen, as it helps practitioners let go of attachment and delusion, leading to a deeper understanding of reality.
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Another important aspect of Zen is the role of the teacher or master, known as a Zen master or Roshi. The teacher-student relationship is highly valued in Zen, with the master providing guidance, instruction, and direct pointing to help the student realize their true nature. This relationship often involves one-on-one interactions, as well as group meditation sessions and formal ceremonies.
Zen practice often incorporates various methods to facilitate awakening, including koans, which are paradoxical or enigmatic statements or questions that serve as a means to disrupt habitual thinking patterns and encourage direct insight. Students are given a koan to contemplate and often engage in dialogues with their teacher to deepen their understanding.
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In addition to meditation and koan practice, Zen places importance on integrating mindfulness and awareness into everyday activities. This includes focusing on simple tasks such as walking, eating, and working, with full attention and presence. Zen teachings emphasize the unity of practice and daily life, encouraging practitioners to embody mindfulness and compassion in all aspects of their existence.
Zen has had a profound influence on various fields, including art, literature, tea ceremony, martial arts, and even modern psychology. It is known for its minimalist aesthetics, simplicity, and direct approach to spiritual awakening. Zen teachings and practices continue to be transmitted through Zen centers and monastic communities, where individuals can engage in retreats, study, and receive guidance from experienced practitioners.
It’s important to note that the depth and richness of Zen cannot be fully captured in a brief explanation. Zen is a transformative practice that often requires personal experience and guidance to fully grasp its essence. Therefore, if you are interested in exploring Zen further, it is recommended to seek out qualified teachers or resources to deepen your understanding and engage in the practice.
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Zen Moments Quotes
1) “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser -like focus”–Bruce Lee
2) “Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power”–Lao Tzu
3) “Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine”–Shunryu Suzuki
4) “One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world”–Dogen
5) “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparison between night and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations”–Alan Watts
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6) “As a bee gathering neuter does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower, so do the wise move through the world”–Buddha
7) “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present”–Buddha
8) “If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious”–Thich Nhat Hanh
9) “At the still point in the center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things”–Chuang Tzu
10) “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment”–Buddha
11) “Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be”–Sonia Ricotti
13) “Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone”–Alan Watt
14) “Rest and be kind you don’t have to prove anything”–Jack Kerouac
15) “To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss”– Bodhidharma
16) “If you realize you have enough, you are truly rich”–Lao Tzu
17) “The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something”–Koun Yomada
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18) “The noble minded are calm and steady. Little people are forever fussing and fretting”·Confucius
19) “To expect some idea of truth without experiencing it is like painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat”–Suzuki Roshi
20) “The resistance to the unpleasant situation is the root of suffering”–Ram Dass
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21) “Self Realization is effortless. What you are trying to find is what you already are”–Ramesh Balsekar
22) “Wisemen don’t judge they seek to understand”–Wei Wu Wei
23) “And when they played they really played. And when they worked they really worked”–Seuss
24) “The place to improve the world is first in one own heart and head and hands”–Robert M Pirsig
25) “Happiness lies even in little tiny butterflies. You just have to open up your eyes and see where beauty flies to beautify your world lengthwise”–Ana Claudia Antunes
26) “Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish your opinions”–Seng-ts’an
27) “peace of mind is that mental condition in which you have accepted the worst”–Lin Yutang
28) “Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”–Lao Tzu
29) “Zen is not an art, it’s not a religion. It’s a realization”–Gene Clark
30) “The fast and the best victory is to conquer self”–Plato
31) “Don’t be afraid to just sit and watch”–Anthony Bourdain
32) “If you chase two rabbits you catch none”–Confucius
33) “When you catch yourself slipping into a pool of negativity, notice how it derives from nothing other than resistance to the current situation”–Donna Quesada
34) “Respect life, Revere life. There is nothing more holy than life, nothing more divine than life”–Osho
35) “When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways – either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits or by using the challenge to find our outer strength. Thanks to the teachings of Buddha. I have been able to take this second way”–Dalai Lama
36) “The good life can be as simple as just paying attention”–Charlie Ambler
37) “If we don’t know how to take care of ourselves and to love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation of loving another person”–Thich Nhat Hanh
38) “Silence is the language of Om. We need silence to be able to reach ourselves. Both internal and external silence is very important to feel the presence of that supreme love”–Amit Ray
39) “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever; the goal is to create something that will outlast us”–Chuk Palahniuk
40) “If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime help someone else”–Confucius
41) “When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess, then the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”–Masanobu Fukuoka
45) “No I know what success is: Living your truth, sharing it”–Kamal Ravikant
46) “These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb”–Najwa Zebian
47) “I don’t hold on to anything, don’t reject anything, Nowhere an obstacle or conflict”–Layman Pang
48) “It is easy to believe that we are each wave and forget we are also the ocean”–Jon J. Muth
49) “The basic principles of Zen teachings are to relax and be utmost at peace with oneself. Zen is not an effort. Effort is tension, effort is work. Effort is to achieve something. Zen is not something to achieve. You are already that. Just relax, relax so deeply that you become a revelation to yourself”–Zen sayings
50) “Life is a balance of holding on and letting go”–Rumi
51) “All that we are, is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become”–Buddha
52) “When I feel like dancing, I dance. I don’t care if anyone else is dancing or if everyone else is laughing at me. I dance ”–Rachel Damson
53) “What the superior man seek is in himself, what the small man seeks is in others– Confucius
54) “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace”–Dalai Lama
55) “Our beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing there is a field. I ‘ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass the world the world is too full to talk about”–Rumi
56) “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet“·–Thich Nhat Hanh
57) “Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You ‘ve to relax. Let it happen at times and at times move forward with it”–Ray Bradbury
58) “Life is more or less a lie, but then again that’s exactly the way we want it to be”–Bob Dylan
59) “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know”–Pema Chodron
60) “Wherever you are, it’s the place you need to be”–Maxime Legacé
61) “Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. If you put water into a cup. It becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes a teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend”–Bruce Lee
62) “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle”–Albert Einstein
63) “But when you’re in front of an audience, and you make them laugh at a new idea, you’re guiding the whole being for the moment. No one is ever more him/herself than when they really laugh. Their defenses are down. It’s very Zen-like at that moment. They are completely open, completely themselves when that message hits the brain, and the laugh begins. That’s when new ideas can be implanted. If a new idea slips in at that moment, it has a chance to grow”. ― George Carlin
64) “Craziness is good. Crazy people are happy, free; they have no hindrance. But since you have many attachments, you are only a little crazy. This is not crazy enough. You must become completely crazy. Then you will understand” – Seungsahn
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