black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

There are those who, attracted by grass, flowers, mountains, and waters, flow into the Buddha Way.

Dogen

Those who seek the easy way do not seek the true way.
DOGEN

Easy Seek True Way
People like what is not true and they don’t like what is true.
DOGEN

Buddha Like People Person True
To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.
DOGEN

Forget Self Study Way
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

Ideas Learn Listen Unity Voice Within Yourself
When one first seeks the truth, one separates oneself from it.
DOGEN

First Oneself Path Seek Separate Truth
Sitting is the gateway of truth to total liberation.
DOGEN

Gateway Liberation Sit Sitting Truth
One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world.
DOGEN

Aware Deeply Impermanence World
To start from the self and try to understand all things is delusion. To let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment.
DOGEN

Awakened Enlightenment Self Set Spiritual Start Thing Understand
That the self advances and confirms the ten thousand things is called delusion; that the ten thousand things advance and confirm the self is called enlightenment.
DOGEN

Advance Call Confirm Delusion Enlightenment Self Ten Thousand
Emptiness is bound to bloom, like hundreds of grasses blossoming.
DOGEN

Blossom Bound Emptiness Grass
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
Time is three eyes and eight elbows.
DOGEN

Eight Elbow Eye Three
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 paint Spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots – just paint Spring.
DOGEN

Just Paint Peache Plum Spring
In the mundane, nothing is sacred. In sacredness, nothing is mundane.
DOGEN

Mundane Nothing Sacred Sacredness
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 those who, attracted by grass, flowers, mountains, and waters, flow into the Buddha Way.

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There are those who, attracted by grass, flowers, mountains, and waters, flow into the Buddha Way.

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