Shunryu Suzuki

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.”

“Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.”

“The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.”

“Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.”

“When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.”

“The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.”

“A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.”

“To receive everything, one must open one's hands and give.”

“Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.”

“Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.”

“If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.”

“Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.”

“What we call 'I' is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.”

“Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea.”

“Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore, and no actual difficulty in our life.”

“The real secret of the arts is to be a student.”

“When you are practicing zazen, do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself.”

“When we express our true nature, we are human beings. When we are greedy, we are not human beings.”

“Just to be sincere and make our full effort in each moment is the most important thing.”