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Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.

Dogen

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
Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.
DOGEN

Bear Children Mind Parents Universe Whole
In the stream, Rushing past To the dusty world, My fleeting form Casts no reflection.
DOGEN

Cast Past People Reflection Rush Stream World
Forgetting oneself is opening oneself
DOGEN

Forget Oneself Opening Yourself
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
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
Sitting is the gateway of truth to total liberation.
DOGEN

Gateway Liberation Sit Sitting Truth
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
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
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
When you walk in the mist, you get wet.
DOGEN

Get Mist Walk Wet
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
When one first seeks the truth, one separates oneself from it.
DOGEN

First Oneself Path Seek Separate Truth
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
When you paint Spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots – just paint Spring.
DOGEN

Just Paint Peache Plum Spring
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
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
Time is three eyes and eight elbows.
DOGEN

Eight Elbow Eye Three
To study Buddhism is to study ourselves. To study ourselves is to forget ourselves.
DOGEN

Buddhism Buddhist Life Ourselves Space Study
A fool sees himself as another, but a wise man sees others as himself.
DOGEN

Fool Himself Men Other Wise
Students today should live fully every moment of time. This dew-like life fades away; time speeds swiftly. In this short life of ours, avoid involvement in superfluous things and just study the Way.
DOGEN

Dew Discipline Every Fully Life Moment Short Student Time
If you want to see things just as they are, then you yourself must practice just as you are.
DOGEN

Just Practice See Thing Want
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
Zazen 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.
DOGEN

Activity Breathing Epron Extension Individual People Universe
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

Always Badly Beautiful Enough Gain Goal Mean Soemrthing
Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.
DOGEN

Buddhist Compassion Enlightenment Thing
Learn the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate your self. Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will be manifest.
DOGEN

Backward Inward Light Mind Self Turn

Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.

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Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.

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