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Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment.

Dogen

If you want to do a certain thing, you first have to be a certain person. Once you become that certain person, you will not care anymore about doing that certain thing.
DOGEN

Care Certain Person Something Spiritual Thing Want
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
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
The coming and going of birth and death is a painting. Unsurpassed enlightenment is a painting. The entire phenomenal universe and the empty sky are nothing but a painting.
DOGEN

Birth Come Enlightenment Go Painting Sky Unsurpassed
A zen master’s life is one continuous mistake.
DOGEN

Continue Life Master Mistake People
Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life.
DOGEN

Buddhist Importance Life Opportunity Passes Supreme
To escape from the world means that one’s mind is not concerned with the opinions of the world.
DOGEN

Concentrate Mean Mind Opinion World
Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self.
DOGEN

Attachment Gain Make Practice Reward Self Thinking Yourself
Emptiness is bound to bloom, like hundreds of grasses blossoming.
DOGEN

Blossom Bound Emptiness Grass
To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfections.
DOGEN

Anxiety Harmony Imperfection Wholeness
Since it is the practice of enlightenment, that practice has no beginning and since it is enlightenment within the practice, that realization has no end.
DOGEN

Beginning End Enlightenment Practice Realization Since
There are mountains hidden in mountains. There are mountains hidden in hiddenness. This is complete understanding.
DOGEN

Complete Hiddenness Mountain Understanding
Do not travel to other dusty lands, forsaking your own sitting place; if you cannot find the truth where you are now, you will never find it.
DOGEN

Dusty Land never Place Sitting Travel Truth
What is the way of the Buddha? It is to study the self. What is the study of the self? It is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to enlightened by everything in the world.
DOGEN

Buddha Forget Oneself Self Study Way World
Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.
DOGEN

Buddhist Compassion Enlightenment Thing
Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.
DOGEN

Aware Enlightenment Necessary Thinking War
Forgetting oneself is opening oneself
DOGEN

Forget Oneself Opening Yourself
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
Although its light is wide and great, the Moon is reflected in a puddle one inch wide. The whole Moon and the entire sky is reflected in one dew drop on the grass.
DOGEN

Inch Life Light Moon Puddle Reflect Wide
When you walk in the mist, you get wet.
DOGEN

Get Mist Walk Wet
Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.
DOGEN

Among Defeated Excel Fool Prefer Wise
I asked, “What are words?” The tenzo said, “One, two, three, four, five.” I asked again, “What is practice?” “Nothing in the entire universe is hidden.”
DOGEN

Ask Cooking Entire Hidden Nothing Practice Said Two Universe Word
If you want to travel the Way of Buddhas and Zen masters, then expect nothing, seek nothing, and grasp nothing.
DOGEN

Buddha Expect Nothing Grasp Want Way
Realization doesn’t destroy the individual any more than the reflection of the moon breaks a drop of water. A drop of water can reflect the whole sky.
DOGEN

Destroy Drop Individual Moon Realization Reflection Sky Water
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DOGEN

Dewdrop Moon Reflect Relaxation Sky
IF YOU WOULD BE FREE OF GREED, FIRST YOU HAVE TO LEAVE EGOTISM BEHIND. THE BEST MENTAL EXERCISE FOR RELINQUISHING EGOTISM IS CONTEMPLATING IMPERMANENCE.
DOGEN

Behind Egotism Excercise Exercise First Free Greed Relinquish
In the stream, Rushing past To the dusty world, My fleeting form Casts no reflection.
DOGEN

Cast Past People Reflection Rush Stream World

Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment.

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Something you want badly enough can always be gained. No matter how fierce the enemy, how remote the beautiful lady, or how carefully guarded the treasure, there is always a means to the goal for the earnest seeker. The unseen help of the guardian gods of heaven and earth assure fulfillment.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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