You are perfect as you are and there is always room for improvement. Shunryu Suzuki More Quotes by Shunryu Suzuki More Quotes From Shunryu Suzuki Zazen practice and everyday activity are one thing. We call zazen everyday life, and everyday life zazen. Shunryu Suzuki activityeverydaypractice Usually when someone believes in a particular religion, his attitude becomes more and more a sharp angle pointing away from himself. In our way the point of the angle is always toward ourselves. Shunryu Suzuki attitudebelieveway We die, and we do not die. Shunryu Suzuki dies 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 If you cannot bow to Buddha, you cannot be a Buddha. It is arrogance. Shunryu Suzuki bowsarroganceifs In your everyday life you always have opportunities for enlightenment. If you go to the rest room, there is a chance to attain enlightenment. When you cook, there is a chance to attain enlightenment. When you clean the floor, there is a chance to attain enlightenment. Shunryu Suzuki everydayopportunitylife Real Freedom is to not feel limited when wearing this Zen robe, this troublesome formal robe. Similarly, in our busy life we should wear this civilization without being bothered by it, without ignoring it, without being caught by it. Shunryu Suzuki realbusycivilization Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time. Shunryu Suzuki clockwellsrunning The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves. That is why we have teaching. But the teaching is not ourselves. It is some explanation of ourselves. To study the teaching is to know yourselves. That is why we do not ever attach to the teaching, or to the teacher. The moment you meet a teacher you should leave the teacher, and you should be independent. You want a teacher so that you can be independent. So you study yourselves. You have the teacher for yourselves, not for the teacher. Shunryu Suzuki independentteachingteacher All descriptions of reality are limited expressions of the world of emptiness. Yet we attach to the descriptions and think they are reality. That is a mistake. Shunryu Suzuki mistakerealitythinking You should rather be grateful for the weeds you have in your mind, because eventually they will enrich your practice. Shunryu Suzuki weedgratefulpractice When you do something, if you fix your mind on the activity with some confidence, the quality of your state of mind is the activity itself. When you are concentrated on the quality of your being, you are prepared for the activity. Shunryu Suzuki qualitystatesmind Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine. Shunryu Suzuki buddhistfreedomkindness Tai Shimano visited Shunryu Suzuki. "How are you feeling these days?" Suzuki replied, "They have a new name for me: Cancer!" Shunryu Suzuki cancernamesfeelings In reflecting on our problems, we should include ourselves. Shunryu Suzuki reflectingproblemshould 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 Someone was sitting in front of a sunflower, watching the sunflower, a cup of sun, and so I tried it too. It was wonderful; I felt the whole universe in the sunflower. That was my experience. Sunflower meditation. A wonderful confidence appeared. You can see the whole universe in a flower. Shunryu Suzuki flowermeditationsitting 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 The way that helps will not be the same; it changes according to the situation. Shunryu Suzuki situationhelpingway
