Life is filled with suffering,
but it is also filled with many wonders,
such as the blue sky, the sunshine, and the eyes of a baby.
Suffering is not enough. We must also be in touch
with the wonders of life. They are within us
and all around us, everywhere, in
every moment.
The way
to study true zen
is not verbal. Just open
yourself and give up everything.
Whatever happens, study closely
and see what you find out.
This is the fundamental
attitude.
The universe
and I are of the same root.
The myriad things and I are
one body. That is
zazen.
Kodo Sawaki Roshi
Body impermanent like spring mist;
Mind insubstantial like empty sky;
Thoughts unestablished like breezes in space.
Think about these three points over and over.
While the unawakened soul
thinks that it is his neighbor or his relation
who is his enemy, the awakened soul says, ‘It is my self;
my ignorant ego is my enemy; and it is the struggle
with this enemy that will bring me light and
raise me from the denseness
of the earth.’
jacob wrestling with the angel