Zen today

“Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.” Chinese Proverb 

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” Etty Hillesum
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Gandhi
“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.” Charlie Chaplin
“The tighter you squeeze, the less you have.” Ma-Tsu
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” Baba Ram Dass
“It is better to practice a little than talk a lot.” Muso Kokushi
“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” Aesop
“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Ovid
“For fast-acting relief try slowing down.”  Lily Tomlin
The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.” Robert M. Pirsig

“The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.” Dogen
“Whether talking or remaining silent, Whether moving or standing quiet, The Essence itself is ever at ease.”  Daishi
“This is the Zen approach: nothing is there to be done. There is nothing to do. One has just to be. Have a rest and be ordinary and be natural. “ Osho
“Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand – relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it.”  Osho
“God is a synergetic experience. Science can never reveal it, philosophy can never come to it – only a poetic approach, a very passive, very loving approach, can.” Osho
“Zen is not a philosophy, it is poetry. It does not propose, it simply persuades. It does not argue, it simply sings its own song. “  Osho
“No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least five minutes every hour, you’d be more productive.” Dr. Joyce Brothers
“He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate.” Henry David
“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer.” William S. Burroughs
“If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.” Doug Larson
“This art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of energy in our great men.” Captain J. A. Hadfield

“Ten thousand flowers in spring
the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer,
snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.” Wu-men

“To what shall
I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected
In dewdrops,
Shaken from a crane’s bill.”  Dogen
“The wind has settled, the blossoms have fallen; Birds sing, the mountains grow dark —This is the wondrous power of Buddhism.” Ryokan

“Calm in quietude is not real calm. When you can be calm in the midst of activity, this is the true state of nature. Happiness in comfort is not real happiness. When you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the true potential of the mind.” Huanchu Daoren
“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” Douglas Pagels
“Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it’s just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters.”  Ching-yuan
“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.” Alan Watts
“Said the river to the seeker, “Does one really have to fret about enlightenment? No matter which way I turn, I’m homeward bound.” Anthoney De Mello
“Surfing soothes me, it’s always been a kind of Zen experience for me. The ocean is so magnificent, peaceful, and awesome. The rest of the world disappears for me when I’m on a wave.” Paul Walker
“And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”  T.S. Eliot