Zen The Art Of Simple Living Quotes

those who do not pay attention to their foot- steps cannot know themselves, and cannot know where their life is going.

To live freely, we must acquire an unfettered mind.

A day without working is a day without eating.

Attempting to define things as good or bad breeds worry and stress.

The word Zen derives from the Sanskrit word dhyana, which means ‘quiet contemplation’.

Life requires time and effort. That is to say, when we eliminate time and effort, we eliminate life’s pleasures.

Do not cling to your belief in what is and always should be. Practice nonattachment

When a flower blooms, the butterfly naturally finds it. When trees have blossomed, birds flock to the branches on their own, and when the leaves wither and fall, the birds scatter. Relationships with people aren’t so different.

Disorder in your mind shows in your feet. It has long been said that you can tell a lot about a household by looking at its entrance hall, especially in Japanese homes, where we remove our shoes upon entering. If the footwear is perfectly lined up, or if it is all ajumble—you can know the state of mind of those who live there by just this one detail.

Adopt a sober, steady, continuous routine.

Do less, not more

The three poisons are greed, anger, and ignorance.

Try not to be swayed by the values of others, not to be troubled by unnecessary concerns, but to live an infinitely simple life, stripped of wasteful things. That is ‘Zen style’.

We say, ‘Every day is new, and new again tomorrow.

There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now. Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own

If the world is not going the way you want it to, perhaps it is better to change yourself. Then, whatever world you encounter, you can move through it comfortably and with ease.

The goodness of every day is determined not by what happens or by whom you meet, but by your own mind.

We all want to hide our weaknesses and portray ourselves as more or better than we are.

If I were to describe a Zen mind in just a few words, I would say it is about making good use of everything.

Keep your desires and anger in check, and strive to understand the nature of things.

In my experience, however, if I focus too much on what the team sees, then it can be difficult to complete the garden as an expression of my own thoughts. Although it may seem counterintuitive, when it comes to coordinating what direction the rocks will face, the fewer people involved, the easier it is to synchronize. And when it’s time to make the final adjustments, it’s best to do it alone. Decisiveness is about having the ability to trust in yourself.

Our preferences, our likes and dislikes—everything is a product of our own mind. In Zen Buddhism we say, “When you reach enlightenment, there are no likes or dislikes.” When we can see things for what they are, our predilections disappear.

Within nothingness there is infinite potential.” It means that human beings are born possessing nothing. Yet within all of us lies infinite potential. For this reason, there is nothing to fear. There is nothing to worry about. This is truth.

But we live surrounded by paradoxes. One more shouldn’t hurt us. The fact is simple enough. Through a lifetime, by ingesting food and water, we build cells, we grow, we become larger and more substantial. That which was not, is. The process is undetectable.

Reading while listening to the sounds of birds and the rush of water. This is the way of life that has come to be idealized. Don't think of unpleasant things right before bed. A five minute "bed zazen" before going to sleep. People who do their best to enjoy what is before them have the greatest chance to discover inner peace. Often, whatever it is they are enjoying - the thing before them - has the potential to turn into an opportunity. Stop dismissing whatever it is that you are doing and start living. Seek not what you lack. Be content with the here and now. When you are uncertain, simplicity is the best way to go. Conscientious living begins with early to bed, early to rise. This is the secret to a life of ease and contentment. Don't be bound by a single perspective. There is more than just "the proper way". Possibility springs from confidence. When someone criticizes us, we immediately feel wounded. When something unpleasant happens, we cannot get it out of our head. What can we do to bounce back? One way to strengthen the mind is though cleaning. When we clean, we use both our head and our body. Recognize the luxury of not having things. Desire feeds upon itself and the mind becomes dominated by boundless greed. This is not happiness. The three poisons are greed, anger and ignorance. Be grateful for every day, even the most ordinary. The happiness to be found in the unremarkable. Your mind has the power to decide whether or not you are happy. There is not just one answer. The meaning behind Zen koans. When there are things we want to do, we must do them as if our lives depend on it. Time spent out of character is empty time.

Zen is also the art of disciplining oneself to fully live life in every way possible on a daily basis.

when you’re uncertain, simplicity is the best way to go.

Just as you draw one breath after another, perform the routine habitually.

Life is full of fortune and misfortune, but cherish being alive, every single day. Life will pass you by.

Imagine if your office and your home were in the same building.

When we eliminate effort, we eliminate life’s pleasures.

It's a waste of time to get lost on a labyrinth of your own making

If you fuss over black and white, you miss out on the beauty of gray.

But negative comments should quickly be forgotten. This can be done by skillfully “paying no attention.” The Zen mind is said to be “unmoved even when the eight winds blow.” We strive to remain unperturbed, no matter the situation—and even to be calm and good-humored.

He broke fresh ground—because, and only because, he had the courage to go ahead without asking whether others were following or even understood. He had no need for the divided responsibility in which others seek to be safe from ridicule, because he had been granted a faith which required no confirmation—a contact with reality, light and intense like the touch of a loved hand: a union in self-surrender without self-destruction, where his heart was lucid and his mind was loving.16 The crux of the story of Parzival and his quest for the Grail is suggested in his first encounter in the Grail castle. After various adventures, Parzival has sort of stumbled into the Grail castle. This is the wisdom of innocence. The purity of the simple fellow gets him into the Grail castle. In the castle lives a king who is sorely wounded. The king’s illness has brought devastation to the kingdom—it has become the Wasteland. The theme of the Grail is the bringing of life into what is known as ‘the wasteland.’ The wasteland is the preliminary theme to which the Grail is the answer…It’s the world of people living inauthentic lives—doing what they are supposed to do. Joseph Campbell Parzival can redeem the king and kingdom by asking a simple question. The wounded king is brought before him, and Parzival wants to ask, “What ails thee, brother?” But he has been told good knights don’t ask a lot of questions. The decisive moment for him is the choice between acting spontaneously from his heart or conventionally from his role as a knight. He fails; innocence is not enough, for he has already been socially indoctrinated. It has caused him to doubt the promptings of his heart, and as Wolfram says in the very first line of his Parzival, “If vacillation dwell with the heart the soul will rue it.”17 Life’s most urgent question is, what are you doing for others? Martin Luther King, Jr.

In other words, being alive means we must make the most of the life we are entrusted with. Life is not ours to possess – it is a precious gift that we must treat as if it were placed in our care. And whatever lifespan we are given, we must take the utmost care to give it back.

Making time for not thinking about anything – that is the first step towards creating a simple life.

In Japanese, the character for ‘busy’ is written with the symbols for ‘lose’ and ‘heart.’ It’s not that we are busy because there isn’t enough time. We are busy because there is no room in our heart.

The place where you currently find yourself, the role you inhabit, the people you meet today, every little thing… you never know what might become an opportunity. Stop dismissing what it is that you’re doing and start living.

Everything we do as human beings is precious. If we are to find meaning in what we do, we must first become our own protagonist in the work.

Deep contemplation about absolute truth in the world or the meaning of life is not something that can be accomplished while in motion.

Contemplate about how to die, whenever you are confused about how to live.

Why do we take pleasure in delicious things? Because the life in us savours that which has been cultivated by the life in another.

Reading while listening to the sounds of birds and the rush of water. Enjoying a drink of sake while gazing at the moon’s reflection in your glass. Communing with wildlife. The ability to live with a free mind, accepting things for what they are. This is the way of life that has come to be idealized.

What is important is how we use the life we are given. How will you use your life today?

One hundred percent of us will die – that is our fate as human beings. We know this, and yet in the face of death we still cling to life. When I greet my end, I will strive for as little attachment as I can. I would like to depart this world thinking that my life has been a good one.

Try not to be swayed by the values of others, not to be troubled by unnecessary concerns, but to live an infinitely simple life, stripped of wasteful things. That is “Zen style.

you believe that a task is being forced upon you, then you will see the work as a burden, and it will arouse negative feelings.

A család az, amelynek körében igazi nyugalomra és érzelmi támogatásra lelhetünk.

When work or interpersonal relationships aren’t going well, throwing yourself into finding a solution is one possibility. But there are times when waiting for the right moment can be better.

One time, Huike shared his troubles with Bodhidharma. “My mind is always filled with anxiety. Please help me to quiet it.” Bodhidharma replied, “I will calm these anxieties for you. But first, will you bring them to me? If you can set them before me and say, ‘These are the anxieties that burden me,’ I will be sure to calm them for you.” Hearing this, Huike realized something for the first time. “Anxiety” was a thing within his mind. In reality, it was intangible. His fears were intangible, and yet he clung to them. He recognized the futility in this.

In the 1974 classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig decries the conversational opener “What’s new?”—arguing that the question, “if pursued exclusively, results only in an endless parade of trivia and fashion, the silt of tomorrow.” He endorses an alternative as vastly superior: “What’s best?” But the reality is not so simple. Remembering that every “best” song and restaurant among your favorites began humbly as something merely “new” to you is a reminder that there may be yet-unknown bests still out there—and thus that the new is indeed worthy of at least some of our attention.

Good morning” in Japanese is Ohayo gozaimasu, which literally means “It is early.” Implicit in this expression is, “It is early in the day, and having made it safely thus far, let’s continue to strive for the best.

There is another you within yourself. This version of you is freer than the self you think you know, and rich with potential. It is your essential self. Within yourself lives your true protagonist.

Try simply immersing yourself in what is before you. You may discover that doing so can be surprisingly powerful.

Whatever it is you're doing, be grateful for the opportunity. Be happy for the chance to work.

You can start something as long as you have the energy. Finishing, too, is easy. The hard part is just to keep going.

Cut off misfortune when it begins. And make sure to take advantage of good fortune. That is the secret to a good life.

A supple mind accepts change and is not attached to the past. Rather than lament change, it finds new beauty and hope in it.

There is abundance not in the accumulation of things, but in knowing how to use things well.

When work or interpersonal relationships aren't going well, throwing yourself into finding a solution is one possibility. But there are times when waiting for the right moment can be better.

The strange thing about money is this: The more attached we become to it, the more it eludes our grasp. Instead of thinking about money, we should concern ourselves with our higher purpose. How can I contribute to society? What can I do to be useful in the world? By contemplating these questions and taking action, you'll find that the money you need will ultimately find you.

Cherish being alive, every single day. Life really does go by in the blink of an eye.

If the world is not going the way you want it to, perhaps it is better to change yourself.

The proper way to take Zen meals involves something called "the Five Reflections." To put it simply: 1. We consider the efforts of those who brought us the food, and are grateful for it. 2. We reflect upon our own actions, and quietly partake. 3. We savor the food, without greed, anger, or obliviousness. 4. We regard the food as medicine to nourish a healthy body and to sustain spirit. 5. We thankfully receive the food as part of our harmonious path toward enlightenment.

Do not cling to your belief in what is and what always should be. Practice nonattachment. By doing so, you will be serving the happiness of others.

Try freeing yourself from attachment to things. Do not be attached to words, either. Even when your interactions with someone are strained, do not be attached to the relationship. Try putting it at a distance.

Decisiveness is about having the ability to trust in yourself.

When something bad happens and you are feeling down, try clapping your hands in front of you -- in an instant you can feel better, having been put in a new frame of mind. Like when a movie cuts to a new scene, there is a totally different you. What is important is this day, this hour, this moment.

Be positive. Your mind has the power to decide whether or not you are happy. You're here to live out each precious day.

The moment you find yourself asking “Why do I have to tidy the garden every morning?” is the moment your training becomes meaningless.

Fundamentally, both schools of Zen—Rinzai and Soto—have the same objective: to bring us closer to our essential selves.

our confusion and worry stem from an inability to accept that the world is constantly changing, from a belief – or an unconscious hope – that our selves and our possessions, as well as the people who surround us, will never change.

Strive for just one thing.

starts to discolor. I realize that it may be too much to completely eliminate meat and fish from your diet. My recommendation: Try eating only vegetables one day a week.

It has long been said that you can tell a lot about a household by looking at its entrance hall, especially in Japanese homes, where we remove our shoes upon entering. If the footwear is perfectly lined up, or if it is all in a jumble … you can know the state of mind of those who live there by just this one detail.

You may believe that by carrying an amulet, you can be a bit reckless with yourself, because the amulet will protect you. But you mustn’t think this way. When you are reckless with your own self, you are putting in danger the deity as well. In order to prevent this, always strive to be mindful of your behaviour. Cherish your own self. That is the true meaning of carrying an amulet.

Consider decorating your home with calligraphy—it could be an inspiring saying, a quote from someone you admire, or something that allows for self-reflection. You don’t need an alcove—your living room wall serves just as well. It doesn’t matter whether the calligraphy is particularly skillful, either.

Consider trying to write or draw with care—not with the intention of showing it to others, but rather by mindfully facing your inner self.

Speak from your belly and awaken your brain.

Discard your attachments. Let go of your assumptions. Reduce your possessions. Living simply is also about discarding your physical and mental burdens.

In Zen Buddhism we have a saying: “Eat and drink with your whole heart.” It means that when you drink a cup of tea, focus only on drinking the tea. When you eat a meal, focus only on eating that meal. As you enjoy a dish, think about the people who cooked it. Visualize the field where the vegetables were grown. Feel a sense of gratitude for the bounty of nature.

When you adopt a vegetable-centric diet, your mind becomes peaceful, untroubled by minor irritations. It shows in the clarity of your skin. In contrast, eating nothing but meat inspires a combative spirit. Before you know it, your skin starts to discolor.

imagination and ingenuity. In the course of your everyday shopping, before you acquire something new, give some thought to whether you really need it, and take another look at what you already have. Acquiring lots of things isn’t freedom. What’s important is acquiring the mind-set of using things freely.

Living simply means, for instance, that the mug you use every day for coffee is a mug that you really like—one that you take good care of and that you use for a long time. Acquire only good things that will truly be needed. A lifestyle of simplicity is the fundamental practice that will hone the mind.

Making time for not thinking about anything. That is the first step toward creating a simple life.

inevitably

Go barefoot at home, and wear thong sandals when you go out. Consider trying this on your days off.

How to eliminate negative emotions

Empty your mind and allow your thoughts to float up and then drift away.

DON’T WASTE TIME WORRYING ABOUT THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL.

enlightenment.

JOIN YOUR HANDS TOGETHER. The way to calm an irritable mind

The meaning of gassho: The left hand represents you; the right represents others.

There are times when we join our hands together and silently pray for someone or reflect on something. I recommend making time for this not only when you visit a grave or a religious site but in your everyday life as well.

MAKE TIME TO BE ALONE.

What is gassho? The right hand represents anyone other than yourself. It might be the Buddha or God or perhaps someone around you. The left hand represents you. Gassho signifies bringing these two together to become one. It is a feeling of respect for those outside of yourself—an offering of humility.

soothes anger or irritation. Herein lies the significance of gassho. It’s a good idea to designate a space within your home where you can join your hands together. It need not be an altar or a shrine—it can be just a pillar or a corner where you hang an amulet or a talisman—a place you can turn to and silently join your hands together. This small practice can have a surprisingly calming effect on your spirit.

When you wake up the next morning, you will feel renewed. Do not underestimate the effects of five minutes of zazen before you go to sleep.

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