Because we are life, we practice life
Master Nangaku - this story took place in China - saw his disciple Baso practice zazen with deep conviction. So he said to him: ‘But what are you actually trying to do?’ The disciple answered: ‘I’m trying to become a Buddha’. So Master…
Looking inside ourselves helps other people to see themselves
There are those who want to change the world by asking others to change, and those who want to change the world by looking inside themselves. These two standpoints are mutually exclusive. If we look at other people too much, we can’t see ourselves.…
In keeping with reality
In an attempt to define Zen, one could say that it is to place the world of Being at the heart of our lives. To place the world of Being, rather than the world of Having, at the heart of our lives.
Before having any thoughts, we are, we exist.…
To pursue happiness is to take the wrong direction
We hope for a brighter future.
We hope that tomorrow will be better than today. We think: Tomorrow, if I have more money, I’ll be happier. If I have more comfort, I’ll be happier... We are in the pursuit of happiness. And the more you…
The white cloud is born of the blue mountain
Our posture should not be closed up. Our posture should spread in all directions, in the numberless directions, it should open indefinitely. The infinity of forms is nothing but non-form. It could be said that forms come from non-form and return…
The normal condition of living beings
If you look at zazen from the outside, you don’t understand. People sometimes tell me: “But you are loosing your time, sitting there doing nothing…” To practice zazen is to practice the normal condition of the mind. The opposite of…
The spirit of the summits
There is a mountain of which the summit stands higher than the other mountains, a mountain of which the summit is hidden from the human eye, a summit wrapped in pure air, free from any pollution, always covered with sparkling…
In the morass of opinions
For the great elephant* who got bogged down, who went too far in the morass of opinions, there is no other way out than to step back, to find the strength by himself; no-one can do it for him, he will have to put all his faculties into…
Doing what we have to do
At the smallest thought, you begin to ramble. You ramble, that is to say, you leave the Way. Journalists always comment the news. Truth is sufficient unto itself, life is truth, truth is the Way. Any comment we add only makes us loose the Way,…
True wisdom and true love
What we must cherish more than anything else is the present moment, which never comes again. It is nothing more than to be standing in the stream of life, to be standing in the eternal now, nothing more than not wasting our life trailing behind…
