Have you been looking for witty and wise Zen quotes? You can find them here.
Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism. It says that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion.
Zen philosophy also says that the potential for achieving enlightenment exists in everyone.
Zen practice is mainly in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, but there are also Zen followers all around the world.
On this page, you will find Zen quotes and proverbs on life, the mind, enlightenment, peace, and other topics. These Zen quotes can enlighten and expand the mind.
Zen Quotes and Proverbs
“Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision.”
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.”
“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.”
“To set up what you like against what you dislike – this is the disease of the mind.”
“The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.”
“The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.”
“From the withered tree, a flower blooms.”
“Before enlightenment; chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment; chop wood, carry water.”
“Zen is not an art, it’s not a religion. It’s a realization.”
“We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.”
“Water which is too pure has no fish.”
“You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.”
“Everything the same; everything distinct.”
“A wise man makes his own decisions. An ignorant man follows the public opinion.”
“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.”
“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”
“To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid.”
“Zen is a liberation from time. For if we open our eyes and see clearly, it becomes obvious that there is no other time than this instant, and that the past and the future are abstractions without any concrete reality.”
“Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?”
“Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind.”
“Move and the way will open.”
Witty and Wise Zen Quotes and Zen Sayings
“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
“Nothing on earth can overcome an absolutely nonresistant person.”
“Sitting peacefully doing nothing Spring comes and the grass grows all by itself.”
“Do not permit the events of your daily life to bind you, but never withdraw yourself from them.”
“Roads were made for journeys not destinations.”
“Zen has no business with ideas.”
“Truth makes you rise to new heights, no matter where you are.”
“It is easy to believe we are each waves and forget we are also the ocean.”
“You look at where you’re going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you’ve been and a pattern seems to emerge.”
“Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.”
“To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
“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.”
“The mind should be as a mirror.”
“To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.”
“Not thinking about anything is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is Zen.”
“What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.”
Related: Confucius Quotes and Sayings
“Cast away all things, becoming without thought and without mind.”
“In the study of Zen, the power of an all-illuminating insight must go hand in hand with a deep sense of humility and meekness of heart.”
Some of the Famous Zen Quotes and Zen Sayings
“Wise men don’t judge – they seek to understand.”
“The resistance to the unpleasant situation is the root of suffering.”
“Peace of mind is that mental condition in which you have accepted the worst.”
“Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.”
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
“One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world.”
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.”
“Melting our attachment to self is the most powerful medication for bringing mental and emotional imbalances in check.”
“Zen teaches that if we can open up to the inevitability of our demise, we can begin to transform and lighten up about it.”
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
“To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss.”
“When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.”
“For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”
“Practice is this life, and realization is this life, and this life is revealed right here and now.”
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.”
“When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.”
“Focus your attention on the Now and tell me what problem you have at this moment.”
“Heaven and earth and I are of the same root, The ten-thousand things and I are of one substance.”
“Melting our attachment to self is the most powerful medication for bringing mental and emotional imbalances in check.”
“Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free, stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”
Quotes Directory >> Zen Quotes and Proverbs
