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Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.

Dogen

No matter how bad a state of mind you may get into, if you keep strong and hold out, eventually the floating clouds must vanish and the withering wind must cease.
DOGEN

Clouds Hold Into Keep Out Strong Wind
What is reality? An icicle forming in fire.
DOGEN

Fire Form Reality
You should stop searching for phrases and chasing after words. Take the backward step and turn the light inward. Your body-mind of itself will drop off and your original face will appear. If you want to attain just this, immediately practice just this.
DOGEN

Chase Light Mind Phrase Practice Stop Word
When both body and mind are at peace, all things appear as they are: perfect, complete, lacking nothing.
DOGEN

Appear Body Complete Mind Peace Perfect Thing
To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfections.
DOGEN

Anxiety Harmony Imperfection Wholeness
To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.
DOGEN

Earth Enlight Religion Self Sell Study Thing
Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.
DOGEN

Bear Children Mind Parents Universe Whole
When one first seeks the truth, one separates oneself from it.
DOGEN

First Oneself Path Seek Separate Truth
In doing zazen it is desirable to have a quiet room. You should be temperate in eating and drinking, forsaking all delusive relationships. Setting everything aside, think of neither good nor evil, right nor wrong. Thus having stopped the various functions of your mind, five up even the idea of becoming a Buddha.
DOGEN

Delusive Drink Eat Forsake Idea Quite Relationship Room Temepearte Thing
Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them, you should be alert so that, in the event that something superior comes along, you may follow that.
DOGEN

Alert Believe Either Events Right Sage Word
There are mountains hidden in mountains. There are mountains hidden in hiddenness. This is complete understanding.
DOGEN

Complete Hiddenness Mountain Understanding
In the mundane, nothing is sacred. In sacredness, nothing is mundane.
DOGEN

Mundane Nothing Sacred Sacredness
A zen master’s life is one continuous mistake.
DOGEN

Continue Life Master Mistake People
You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.
DOGEN

Become Born Buddhist Child Mother Spiritual Study
Your body is like a dew-drop on the morning grass, your life is as brief as a flash of lightning. Momentary and vain, it is lost in a moment.
DOGEN

Cvain Dew Flash Lightning Lost Moment Momentary Morning
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DOGEN

Dewdrop Moon Reflect Relaxation Sky

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.

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Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.

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Popular Authors

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