Quotes by Practice While you are continuing this practice, week after week, year after year, your experience will become deeper and deeper, and your experience will cover everything you do in your everyday life. The most important thing is to forget all gain ing ideas, all dualistic ideas. In other words, just practice zazen in a certain posture. Do not think about anything. Just remain on your cushion without expecting anything. Then eventually you will resume your own true nature. That is to say, your own true nature resumes itself. Shunryu Suzuki practiceyearsthinking We do not slight the idea of enlightenment, but the most important thing is this moment, not some day in the future. We have to make our effort in this moment. This is the most important thing for our practice. Shunryu Suzuki effortpracticeideas Let your ears hear without trying to hear. Let the mind think without trying to think and without trying to stop it. That is practice. Shunryu Suzuki practicemindthinking The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself. Shunryu Suzuki being-yourselfpurposepractice The more you practice zazen, the more you will be able to accept something as your own, whatever it is. Shunryu Suzuki ableacceptingpractice Zazen practice and everyday activity are one thing. We call zazen everyday life, and everyday life zazen. Shunryu Suzuki activityeverydaypractice Even though you have pain in your legs, you can do it. Even though your practice is not good enough, you can do it. Shunryu Suzuki not-good-enoughpainpractice When the restrictions you have do not limit you, this is what we mean by practice. Shunryu Suzuki limitspracticemean You should rather be grateful for the weeds you have in your mind, because eventually they will enrich your practice. Shunryu Suzuki weedgratefulpractice People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to sit in the cross- legged position, or to attain enlightenment. It is difficult because it is hard to keep our mind pure and our practice pure in its fundamental sense. Shunryu Suzuki practicemindpeople So it is not a matter of whether it is possible to attain Buddhahood, or if it is possible to make a tile a jewel. But just to work, just to live in this world with this understanding is the most important point, and that is our practice. That is true zazen. Shunryu Suzuki understandingjewelspractice So the most difficult thing is always to keep your beginner's mind. There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. 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 the arts: always be a beginner. Be very very careful about this point. If you start to practice zazen, you will begin to appreciate your beginner's mind. It is the secret of Zen practice. Shunryu Suzuki realpracticeart If you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall. Shunryu Suzuki wallpridepractice The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. The innocence of the first inquiry—what am I?—is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities. It is the kind of mind which can see things as they are, which step by step and in a flash can realize the original nature of everything. Shunryu Suzuki naturepracticedoubt Bowing is a very serious practice. You should be prepared to bow, even in your last moment. even though it is impossible to get rid of our self-centered desires, we have to do it. Our true nature wants us to. Shunryu Suzuki practiceselfdesire The secret of Soto Zen is just two words: not always so.... In Japanese, it's two words, three words in English. That is the secret of our practice. Shunryu Suzuki practicesecrettwo If you want to study Zen, you should forget all your previous ideas and just practice zazen and see what kind of experience you have in your practice. That is naturalness. Shunryu Suzuki practicewantideas If your practice is good, you may become proud of it. What you do is good, but something more is added to it. Pride is extra. Right effort is to get rid of something extra. Shunryu Suzuki effortpridepractice If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after you attain it, it is nothing special. Shunryu Suzuki simplepracticespecial If you think you will get something from practicing zazen, already you are involved in impure practice. Shunryu Suzuki involvedpracticethinking«181182183184185186187188189190191»
