Zen is not “attained” by mirror-wiping mediation, but by “self-forgetfulness in the existential ‘present’ of life here and now.” We do not “come”, we “are.” Don’t strive to become, but be.
Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.
I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.
Not being tense but ready. Not thinking but not dreaming. Not being set but flexible. Liberation from the uneasy sense of confinement. It is being wholly and quietly alive, aware and alert, ready for whatever may come.
Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.
Empty your cup so that it may be filled; become devoid to gain totality.
To spend time is to pass it in a specified manner. To waste time is to expend it thoughtlessly or carelessly. We all have time to either spend or waste and it is our decision what to do with it. But once passed, it is gone forever.
The spirit of the individual is determined by his dominating thought habits.
Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as a reality in your own mind.
Make at least one definite move daily toward your goal.
Live a life worth remembering.
Optimism is a faith that leads to success.
If you want to learn to swim, jump into the water. On dry land, no frame of mind is ever going to help you.
The meaning of life is that it is to be lived.
Take what’s useful, discard what is not.
You will never get any more out of this life than you expect.
The idea is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing.
Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.
Linda and I aren’t one and one. We are two halves that make a whole – two halves fitted together are more efficient than either half would ever be alone!
Effort within the mind further limits the mind, because effort implies struggle towards a goal and when you have a goal, a purpose, an end in view, you have placed a limit on the mind.