Dogen Quotes

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfections.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

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.

If you want to see things just as they are, then you yourself must practice just as you are.

Meditation is not a way to enlightenment, Nor is it a method of achieving anything at all. It is peace itself. It is the actualization of wisdom, The ultimate truth of the oneness of all things.

When both body and mind are at peace, all things appear as they are: perfect, complete, lacking nothing.

To study the Way is to study the Self. To study the Self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things of the universe. To be enlightened by all things of the universe is to cast off the body and mind of the self as well as those of others. Even the traces of enlightenment are wiped out, and life with traceless enlightenment goes on forever and ever

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.

But do not ask me where I am going, As I travel in this limitless world, Where every step I take is my home.

Life and death are nothing but the mind. Years, months, days, and hours are nothing but the mind. Dreams, illusions, and mirages are nothing but the mind. The bubbles of water and the flames of fire are nothing but the mind. The flowers of the spring and the moon of the autumn are nothing but the mind. Confusions and dangers are nothing but the mind.

A fool sees himself as another, but a wise man sees others as himself.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

To start from the self and try to understand all things is delusion. To let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment.

Truth 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.

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

We must always be disturbed by the truth.

Continuous practice, day after day, is the most appropriate way of expressing gratitude. This means that you practice continuously, without wasting a single day of your life, without using it for your own sake. Why is it so? Your life is a fortunate outcome of the continuous practice of the past. You should express your gratitude immediately.

The true person is Not anyone in particular; But like the deep blue color Of the limitless sky, It is everyone, Everywhere in the world.

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.

Studying the Buddha way is studying oneself. Studying oneself is forgetting oneself. Forgetting oneself is being enlightened by all things. Being enlightened by all things is to shed the body-mind of oneself, and those of others. No trace of enlightenment remains, and this traceless enlightenment continues endlessly.

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.

That you carry yourself forward and experience the myriad things is delusion. That the myriad things come forward and experience themselves is awakening

When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original selves.