I asked, "What are words?" The tenzo said, "One, two, three, four, five." I asked again, "What is practice?" "Nothing in the entire universe is hidden." Dogen More Quotes by Dogen More Quotes From Dogen In doing zazen it is desirable to have a quiet room. You should be temperate in eating and drinking, forsaking all delusive relationships. Setting everything aside, think of neither good nor evil, right nor wrong. Thus having stopped the various functions of your mind, five up even the idea of becoming a Buddha. Dogen drinking ideas thinking What is reality? An icicle forming in fire. Dogen icicles fire reality Do no harmful actions, do not become attached to the cycle of death and rebirth, show kindness, respect the old and have compassion for the young, do not have a heart that rejects or a heart that covets and have no worry or sadness in your heart. This is what is called enlightenment. Do not seek it elsewhere. Dogen sadness kindness heart If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace. Dogen finding-peace discipline mind To start from the self and try to understand all things is delusion. To let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment. Dogen enlightenment self spiritual Practice and enlightenment are not two. Dogen enlightenment practice two Nothing in the entire universe is hidden. Dogen universe Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe. Dogen parent mind children Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment. Dogen enlightenment war thinking Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment. Dogen goal beautiful mean People like what is not true and they don't like what is true. Dogen people Do not travel to other dusty lands, forsaking your own sitting place; if you cannot find the truth where you are now, you will never find it. Dogen where-you-are land sitting Coming, going, the waterbirds, don't leave a trace, don't follow a path. Dogen path Do not doubt that mountains walk simply because they may not appear to walk like humans. Dogen mountain doubt may Those who practice know whether realization is attained or not, just as those who drink water know whether it is hot or cold Dogen practice hot water In the mundane, nothing is sacred. In sacredness, nothing is mundane. Dogen sacredness mundane sacred People who truly follow the Way would do well to conceal the fact that they are Buddhists. Dogen buddhist people way Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them, you should be alert so that, in the event that something superior comes along, you may follow that. Dogen sage events believe A zen master's life is one continuous mistake. Dogen masters life-is mistake Whenever learners or those beyond learning awaken the mind, for the first time they plant one buddha-nature. Working with the four elements and five clusters, if they practice sincerely they attain enlightenment. Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment. This is because the four elements and five clusters and plants, trees, fences and walls are fellow students; because they are of the same essence, because they are the same mind and the same life, because they are the same body and the same mechanism. Dogen wall essence life
