Shunryu Suzuki

The world is its own magic.

When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

To accept some idea of truth without experiencing it is like a painting of a cake on paper which you can not eat.

Real practice has no purpose or direction, so it can include everything that comes.

Preparing food is not just about yourself and others. It is about everything!

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.

Inspiring others towards happiness brings you happiness.

Still water has no mind to receive the image of the migrating geese.

What you possess, you lose.

I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.

To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

Abandon yesterday, tomorrow and today. Cross over to the farthest shore beyond life and death.

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

Only a spiritual being has awareness.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.

Most people think that faith means believing something; oftener it means trying something, giving it a chance to prove itself.

Harmonizing opposites by going back to their source is the distinctive quality of the Zen attitude, the Middle Way: embracing contradictions, making a synthesis of them, achieving balance.

If something is easy for you, work on it a little. If it’s hard for you, work on it a lot.

The Christian’s Bible is a drug store. Its contents remain the same, but the medical practice changes.