The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DOGENThe whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.
DOGENThe recognition of the coming and going of things is a first step in training and practice.
DOGENTruth is not far away. It is nearer than near. There is no need to attain it, since not one of your steps leads away from it.
DOGENDo 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.
DOGENThere are thousands upon thousands of students who have practiced meditation and obtained its fruits. Do not doubt its possibilities because of the simplicity of the method. If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
DOGENDo not doubt that mountains walk simply because they may not appear to walk like humans.
DOGENSomething 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.
DOGENZazen is an activity that is an extension of the universe. Zazen is not the life of an individual, it’s the universe that’s breathing.
DOGENIf you want to see things just as they are, then you yourself must practice just as you are.
DOGENWhat 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.
DOGENA fool sees himself as another, but a wise man sees others as himself.
DOGENSince it is the practice of enlightenment, that practice has no beginning and since it is enlightenment within the practice, that realization has no end.
DOGENThose who practice know whether realization is attained or not, just as those who drink water know whether it is hot or cold
DOGENTo study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.
DOGENIF YOU WOULD BE FREE OF GREED, FIRST YOU HAVE TO LEAVE EGOTISM BEHIND. THE BEST MENTAL EXERCISE FOR RELINQUISHING EGOTISM IS CONTEMPLATING IMPERMANENCE.
DOGENYou should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.
DOGEN