Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971)

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

“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine”

“In the zazen posture, your mind and body have great power to accept things as they are, whether agreeable or dis-agreeable.”

“For a plant or stone to be natural is no problem. But for us there is some problem, indeed a big problem. To be natural is something we must work on. When what you do just comes out from nothingness, you have quiet a new feeling. For instance, when you are hungry, to take some food is naturalness. You feel natural. But when you are expecting too much, to have some food is not natural. You have no new feeling. You have no appreciation for it.”

“Because we cannot accept the truth of transiency, we suffer. So the cause of suffering is our non-acceptence of this truth. The teaching of the cause of suffering and the teaching that everything changes are thus two sides of one coin. But subjectively, transiency is the cause of our suffering. Objectively this teaching is simply the basic truth that everything changes.”

Excerpts from; Informal talks on Zen meditation and practice – Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki.