Zen Quotes

“When a scientist works in his laboratory, he does not smoke, he does not eat sweets, and does not listen to the radio. He abstains not because he thinks that these things are sins, but because he knows that they impede the perfect concentration of his mind on the object of his study. It is much the same in Zen Discipline: the observance of this discipline must help the practitioner to live in Awareness of Being; it does not lead to moral objectives.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Zen Wisdom cannot be obtained by the intellect: study, hypothesis, analysis, synthesis. The practitioner of Zen must use all of his entire being as an instrument of realization; the intellect is only one part of his being, and a part that often pulls him away from living reality, the very object of Zen.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“In my monastery, as in all those belonging to the Zen tradition, there is a very fine portrait of Bodhidharma. It is a Chinese work of art in ink, depicting the Indian monk with sober and vigorous features. The eyebrows, eyes, and chin of Bodhidharma express an invincible spirit. Bodhidharma lived, it is said, in the fifth century A.D. He is considered to be the First Patriarch of Zen Buddhism in China. It might be that most of the things that are reported about his life have no historical validity; but the personality as well as the mind of this monk, as seen and described through tradition, have made him the ideal man for all those who aspire to Zen enlightenment. It is the picture of a man who has come to perfect mastery of himself, to complete freedom in relation to himself and to his surroundings—a man having that tremendous spiritual power which allows him to regard happiness, unhappiness, and all the vicissitudes of life with an absolute calm. The essence of this personality, however, does not come from a position taken about the problem of absolute reality, nor from an indomitable will, but from a profound vision of his own mind and of living reality. The Zen word used here signifies "seeing into his own nature." When one has reached this enlightenment, one feels all systems of erroneous thought crushed inside oneself. The new vision produces in the one enlightened a deep peace, a great tranquility, as well as a spiritual force characterized by the absence of fear. Seeing into one's own nature is the goal of Zen.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Zen is none other than Buddhism.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“If Bodhidharma is the ideal man, it is because his image is that of a hero who has broken the chains of illusion that enclose man in the world of emotions. The hammer that is used to break these chains is the practice of Zen.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“The essence of Zen is Awakening. This is why one does not talk about Zen, one experiences it.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“The Zen practitioner must . . . strive to liberate himself from his attachment to knowledge and to open the door of his being in order that truth might enter.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“To sit with only the intention of finding the meaning of a kung-an [koan] is not truly to sit in Zen; it is to spend one's time and one's life vainly. If one sits in meditation it is not in order to reflect on a kung-an, but in order to light the lamp of one's true being; the meaning of the kung-an will be revealed quite naturally in this light which becomes more and more brilliant.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“The kung-an is the lamp-shade, while Zen is the lamp itself.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Zen certainly derives from Buddhism, but a form of Buddhism that belongs to a geographical zone influenced by the Chinese culture. The Chinese Zen tree, transplanted in Japan, in Vietnam, and in Korea, has grown well and greatly. Zen Buddhism, in each of these countries, differs with certain nuances from that practiced in China. One can, however, easily recognize its identity.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Though Zen is a Chinese form of Buddhism, it reflects entirely the spirit and splendor of Indian Buddhism, from its inception to its full development. For this reason one can say that Zen brings us the authentic spirit of Buddhism.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Although different from Indian Buddhism from the standpoint of form and practice, in the end Zen seems to be more authentic than many other Buddhist schools. In particular, Zen emphasizes the necessity of practice aiming at enlightenment which is the very foundation of Buddhism.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Zen . . . does not belong to monks only. Everyone can study and practice it. Many laymen have been recognized as illustrious Zen Masters, and have aroused the respect of the monks themselves.

The laity are related to the monasteries by the material support they provide to them, as it sometimes happens that the labor of the monks may not be sufficient to ensure the upkeep of the monastery. The laity are also related to the monasteries by their participation in the construction of temples and sanctuaries and by their cultural activities; for example, the printing and publishing of sutras and scriptural works by monks. A good number of monasteries each month organize bat quan trai gioi for laymen who wish to live for twenty-four or forty-eight hours in a monastery exactly like monks. Places are reserved for them for these periods of bat quan trai gioi, during which they practice Zen under the direction of monks.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“It is through the close interaction of the laity and the monks that the essence of Zen penetrates social life.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Zen is a living tradition which can help to make sober, healthy, well-balanced, and stable people.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Accustomed as we are to being constantly "occupied," if these occupations should happen to be taken from us, we find ourselves empty and abandoned. We then refuse to confront ourself and instead go off in search of friends, to mix in with the crowd, to listen to the radio or to the television, to get rid of this impression of emptiness.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“The development of Japanese economy has made Japan into a Western-like nation, in which many of the spiritual values have given place to materialism. The temples and monasteries must also participate in the present economic way of life and be based upon the present social needs of producing and consuming in order to exist. They can no longer play their role of spiritual leadership, as in the past. Zen is threatened on the very ground on which it was born and developed.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“The West has begun to learn about Zen when it is already on the way to disintegration.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“From the beginning, self-annihilation has been an important task imposed on Zen monks in everyday discipline. To cast aside the ego means to cast aside your selfhood, determinedly reducing yourself to nothing, all the while revering and obeying your seniors and carrying out your daily chores in perfect silence.”
― Kaoru Nonomura, Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple

“Without going into the history of Zen, let it be said that the relationship between master and disciple has always been fraught with peril. The hapless disciple is beaten with a stick, kicked, slapped on the head with his teacher's sandal. But to revile all such actions as violence is too hasty a conclusion. Before an act can be labeled violent, its underlying purpose must be ascertained. A little thought will show that in the context of Zen discipline, the fundamental purpose of a beating or thrashing is not to inflict injury or pain. Such acts are rather a means of conveying living truth from body to body and mind to mind, a form of spiritual training and cultivation.”
― Kaoru Nonomura, Eat Sleep Sit: My Year at Japan's Most Rigorous Zen Temple

“Those who find great difficulties in practicing Zen will find more meaning in it.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

“There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen.”
― Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice

“Student: Master, I am thinking of crossing a very large desert without food and water, what do you say? Master: I say try to cross a small desert with water and food first!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“The best way to do this is by putting these teachings into practice in our daily lives. Experience always goes beyond ideas.
Tenth-century Vietnamese master Thiên Hôi told his students, “Be diligent in order to attain the state of no birth and no death.” One student asked, “Where can we touch the world of no birth and no death?” and he responded, “Right here in the world of birth and death.” To touch the water, you have to touch the waves. If you touch birth and death deeply, you touch the world of no birth and no death.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching : Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy and Liberation

“Student: Master, how can I reach the end of an endless road? Master: How can I answer a question that has no answer?”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Just sitting, transcending good or evil, satori or delusion, is the zazen that transcends the sage and the ordinary man.”
― Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, Opening the Hand of Thought: Foundations of Zen Buddhist Practice

“Disciple: Master, you told me to leave the temple, what mistake did I make? Master: No mistake! You've learned a lot here, your load has become heavy, it's time to unload it! What is full must be emptied!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“To know what Zen is, and especially what it is not, there is no alternative but to practice it, to experiment with it in the concrete so as to discover the meaning which underlies the words.”
― Alan Watts

“If there is anything in this world which transcends the relativities of cultural conditioning, it is Zen—by whatever name it may be called.”
― Alan Watts

“Your soul has a beautiful light inside it, don’t ever dim it for anyone.”
― Quotemantra