Shunryu Suzuki Born : May 18, 1904 Died : December 4, 1971 Browse All Authors Top 204 quotes by Shunryu Suzuki Leave your front door and your back door open. Shunryu Suzuki comes-and-goes tea doors As soon as you see something, you already start to intellectualize it. As soon as you intellectualize something, it is no longer what you saw. Shunryu Suzuki saws awareness 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 calm causes mind If you can just appreciate each thing, one by one, then you will have pure gratitude. Even though you observe just one flower, that one flower includes everything Shunryu Suzuki gratitude appreciate flower In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.... In the beginner's mind there is no thought, 'I have attained something.' All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. We can really learn something. Shunryu Suzuki achievement meditation self The beginner's mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. Shunryu Suzuki beginners compassion mind Moment after moment everything comes out of nothingness. This is the true joy of life. Shunryu Suzuki joy-of-life true-joy moments How much 'ego' do you need? Just enough so that you don't step in front of a bus. Shunryu Suzuki ego steps needs Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea. Shunryu Suzuki practice spiritual ideas Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different, in essence they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us. Shunryu Suzuki buddhist understanding sorrow Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else. Shunryu Suzuki mma buddhism yoga Our practice should be based on the ideal of selflessness. Selflessness is very difficult to understand. If you try to be selfless, that is already a selfish idea. Selflessness will be there when you do not try anything. Shunryu Suzuki selfish practice ideas Faith is a state of openness or trust...In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe, becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to the truth, whatever it might turn out to be. Shunryu Suzuki faith letting-go attitude Even though you try to put people under control, it is impossible. You cannot do it. The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense. To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him. So it is with people: first let them do what they want, and watch them. This is the best policy. To ignore them is not good. That is the worst policy. The second worst is trying to control them. The best one is to watch them, just to watch them, without trying to control them. Shunryu Suzuki sheep giving people Hell is not punishment, it's training. Shunryu Suzuki punishment hell training Things are always changing, so nothing can be yours. Shunryu Suzuki When you are just you, without thinking or trying to say something special, just saying what is on your mind and how you feel, then there is naturally self-respect. Shunryu Suzuki respect self thinking Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself. Shunryu Suzuki ego wisdom reality Wherever you go you will find your teacher, as long as you have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Shunryu Suzuki eye teacher long The true practice to meditation is to sit as if you where drinking water when you are thirsty. Shunryu Suzuki practice drinking water
