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When you encounter those who are wicked, unrighteous, foolish, dim-witted, deformed, vicious, chronically ill, lonely, unfortunate, or disabled, you should think: “How can I save them?”

— Ryōkan Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

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More quotes by Ryōkan

In the scenery of spring,
nothing is better, nothing worse;
The flowering branches are
of themselves, some short, some long.

Haiku : Spring (1950)

In this dream world
We doze
And talk of dreams —
Dream, dream on,
As much as you wish

Lust for Enlightenment : Buddhism and Sex (1990)

The thief left it behind:
the moon
at my window.

The water of the valley stream
Never shouts at the tainted world: “Purify yourself!”
But naturally, as it is,
Shows how it is done.

Zen Poetics of Ryokan (2006)

You must rise above
The gloomy clouds
Covering the mountaintop
Otherwise, how will you
Ever see the brightness?

Lust for Enlightenment : Buddhism and Sex (1990)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Ryōkan (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.