On the contrary, Subhuti, those Bodhisattvas who, when these words of the sutra are being taught, will find even one read more

On the contrary, Subhuti, those Bodhisattvas who, when these words of the sutra are being taught, will find even one single thought of serene faith, will be such as have honoured many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, such as have planted their roots

After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, read more

After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked—as I am surprisingly often—why I bother to get up in the mornings.

The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there

The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there

He doth entreat your grace, my noble lord,
To visit him to-morrow or next day:
He is read more

He doth entreat your grace, my noble lord,
To visit him to-morrow or next day:
He is within, with two right reverend fathers,
Divinely bent to meditation,
And in no worldly suits would he be moved
To draw him from his holy exercise.

In deep meditation the flow of concentration is continuous like the flow of oil.

In deep meditation the flow of concentration is continuous like the flow of oil.

Each night the Tree of Nut
out of naught knits neat nuts.

Each night the Tree of Nut
out of naught knits neat nuts.

The tighter you squeeze, the less you have. The best leaders of all, the people know not they read more

The tighter you squeeze, the less you have. The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. They turn to each other and say We did it ourselves. The mind that does not understand is the Buddha. There is no other. •Ma-Tsu You cannot describe it or draw it. You cannot praise it enough or perceive it. No place can be found in which to put the Original Face; it will not disappear even when the universe is destroyed. •Mumon Learning Zen is a phenomenon of gold and dung. Before you understand it, it's like gold; after you understand it, it's like dung. •Zen Saying No thought, no reflection, no analysis, no cultivation, no intention; let it settle itself. •Tilopa When you pass through, no one can pin you down, no one can call you back. •Ying-An There are no mundane things outside of Buddhism, and there is no Buddhism outside of mundane things. •Yuan-Wu The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there. •Robert M. Pirsig Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it's dark. •Zen Proverb Sit quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.

Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and read more

Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or whether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.

My sole literary ambition is to write one good novel, then retire to my hut in the desert, assume the read more

My sole literary ambition is to write one good novel, then retire to my hut in the desert, assume the lotus position, compose my mind and senses, and sink into meditation, contemplating my novel