Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang Dynasty. Due to its simple approach, the roots of Zen sprawled to Korea and Japan. The Zen school of thought became popular in the West from the mid-20th century.
What is Zen:
Zen Buddhism is a concoction of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. The essence of Zen lies in understanding the meaning of life without being misled by logical thought or language.
Zen practitioners believe that a Zen mind is not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion, and is open to everything. Japanese author D.T Sukuzi translates that Zen means “being free from mind-attachment.”
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The Power of Zen:
According to Zen Masters by practising Zen you’ll see a humongous change in yourself. As it will have a calming effect on your mind and body, which will help you to lead a fulfilling life.
Another major benefit of Zen is that it helps you in realising your potential, and in developing problem-solving skills. Because it focuses on mind shift and churning the wisdom, that’s hidden inside.
Here’s what Sōtō Zen Monk, Shunryū Suzuki quoted about Zen:
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.”
This is why, Steve Jobs, the pioneer of the personal computer revolution, and CEO of Apple Inc. was lured by Zen and its practise.
So let’s soak up the knowledge from these 50 Inspiring Zen Quotes on Life for the Conscious Minds.
Zen Quotes on Important Lessons learned in Life
“A mind full of preconceived ideas, subjective intentions, or habits is not open to things as they are.” ― Shunryu Suzuki
“Unless it grows out of yourself no knowledge is really yours, it is only borrowed plumage.” ― D.T. Suzuki
“As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.” ― Buddha
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” ― Thích Nhất Hạnh
“To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.” ― Bodhidharma
“If you realize you have enough, you are truly rich.” ― Lao Tzu
“When I feel like dancing, I dance. I don’t care if anyone else is dancing or if everyone else is laughing at me. I dance.” ― Rachel Danson
“If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. That is very serious!” ― Thich Nhat Hanh
Best Zen Quotes on Attaining Peace in Life
“All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.” ― Eckhart Tolle
“If you forget yourself, you become the universe.” ― Hakuin Ekaku
“Our opinions have no permanence; like autumn and winter, they gradually pass away.” ― Zhuangzi
“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.” ― Jack Kornfield
“Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind.” ― Zen Proverb
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” ― Dalai Lama
“When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” ― Lao Tzu
“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” ―Dalai Lama
“Respect life, revere life. There is nothing more holy than life, nothing more divine than life.” ― Unknown
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Best Zen Quotes on Love, Passion and Wisdom
“When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” ― Shunryu Suzuki
“And when they played they really played. And when they worked they really worked.” ― Seuss
“Wise men don’t judge – they seek to understand.” ― Wei Wu Wei
“Let go, or be dragged.” ― Zen Proverb
“Nothing ever exists entirely alone. Everything is in relation to everything else.” ― Buddha
“Love is the absence of judgement.” ― Dalai Lama
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” ― Lao Tzu
Zen Quotes on the Importance of Change in Life
“The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.” ― Alan Watts
“See and realize that this world is not permanent. Neither late nor early flowers will remain.” ―Ryōkan
“Every day passes whether you participate or not.” ―Ming Dao Deng
“Unless we die to ourselves, we can never be alive again.” ― D.T. Suzuki
“When we realize the everlasting truth of “everything changes” and find our composure in it, we find ourselves in Nirvana.” ― Shunryu Suzuki
“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.” ― Eckhart Tolle
“Whether we like it or not, change comes, and the greater the resistance, the greater the pain.” ― Alan Watts
“There is only one thing in life which never changes, and it is change.” ― Confucius
“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.” ― Dalai Lama
Zen Quotes on coming to terms with Truth and Reality in Life
“In order to be effective truth must penetrate like an arrow – and that is likely to hurt.” ― Wei Wu Wei
“The Truth is realized in an instant; the Act is practiced step by step.” ― Seungsahn
“Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.” ― Hakuin Ekaku
“It is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth.” ― Alexis de Tocqueville
“To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you cannot eat.” ― Suzuki Roshi
“No word matters. But man forgets reality and remembers words.” ― Roger Zelazny
“Realisation is a matter of becoming conscious of that which is already realised” ― Wei Wu Wei
“Do not seek for the truth, only stop having an opinion.” ― Seng-ts’an
“If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” ― Dogen
Zen Quotes on the Importance of Time in Life
“Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.” ― Max Frisch
“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.” ―Albert Einstein
“The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.” ―Marcus Aurelius
“Time is the fire in which we burn.” ― Gene Roddenberry
“This dew like life fades away; time speeds swiftly. In this short life of ours, avoid involvement in superfluous things and just study the Way.” ― Dōgen Zenji
“Time’s the king of men; he’s both their parent, and he is their grave, and gives them what he will, not what they crave.” ― William Shakespeare
“Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent.” ― Carl Sandburg
“Don’t waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come.” ― Mario Quintana
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Let thy spirit be high in love. Namaste
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