Shunryu Suzuki Quotes

1904–1971 Japan

Shunryu Suzuki (鈴木俊隆 Suzuki Shunryū, dharma name Shogaku Shunryu) (18 May 1904 – 4 December 1971) was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Zen Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which, along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States.

Japan
Religious leaders

Also known as: Shunryu Suzuka, Suzuka, Shunryu, Suzuki, Shunryu, Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Random Shunryu Suzuki quote

22 quotes

So it is not a matter of whether it is possible to attain Buddhahood, or if it is possible to make a tile a jewel. But just to work, just to live in this world with this understanding is the most important point, and that is our practice. That is true zazen.

It is a big mistake to think that the best way to express yourself is to do whatever you want, acting as you please. This is not expressing yourself. If you know what to do exactly, and you do it, then you can express yourself fully.

Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen (2002)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Shunryu Suzuki (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.