“ When you do something, you should do it with your whole body and mind; you should be concentrated on what you do. You should do it completely, like a good bonfire. You should not be a smoky fire. You… Shunryu Suzuki
“ The important thing in our understanding is to have a smooth, free-thinking way of observation. We have to think and to observe things without stagnation. We should accept things as they are without d… Shunryu Suzuki
“ When we say something, our subjective intention or situation is always involved. So there is no perfect word; some distortion is always present in a statement. Shunryu Suzuki
“ So without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, to express yourself freely as you are is the most important thing to make yourself happy, and to make others happy... So we should be conce… Shunryu Suzuki
“ A mind full of preconceived ideas, subjective intentions, or habits it not open to things as they are. Shunryu Suzuki
“ True communication depends upon our being straightforward with one another... But the best way to communicate may be just to sit without saying anything. Shunryu Suzuki
“ One time Marian showed me some sand. When she gave it to me, she said, "These are very interesting stones." It just looked like sand, but she asked me to took through a magnifying glass. Then those sm… Shunryu Suzuki
“ It is said that there are four kinds of horses: excellent ones, good ones, poor ones, and bad ones. The best horse will run slow and fast, right and left, at the driver’s will, before it sees the shad… Shunryu Suzuki
“ To die is more important than trying to be alive. When we try to be alive, we have trouble. Rather than trying to be alive or active, if we can be calm and die or fade away into emptiness, then natura… Shunryu Suzuki
“ A student, filled with emotion and crying, implored, "Why is there so much suffering?"Suzuki Roshi replied, "No reason. Shunryu Suzuki
“ In your practice you should accept everything as it is, giving to each thing the same respect given to a Buddha. Shunryu Suzuki
“ To live in the realm of Buddha nature means to die as a small being, moment after moment. Shunryu Suzuki
“ Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind. You should not say, “I know what Zen is,” or “I have attained enlightenment.” This is also the real secret of t… Shunryu Suzuki
“ Even in zazen you will lose yourself. When you become sleepy, or when your mind starts to wander about, you lose yourself. When your legs become painful—“Why are my legs so painful?”—you lose yourself… Shunryu Suzuki
