Sublime

Zhaozhou often quoted this saying by Sengcan: “The great way is not difficult if you just don’t pick and choose.”

The heat of Master Shunryu’s heart burns away both faith and doubt leaving a withered tree in the golden wind.

In shodo it is considered sacrilege to go back and touch up the work. Any adjustment or touch-up would be apparent, and would interrupt the ki, and therefore the created work wouldn’t be an honest representation of the artist’s energy and personality.

All these arts focus on stripping away unnecessary elements, retaining only what is salient and fundamental.

When we sit, don’t we allow all the usual annoying differences like itches or restlessness or an aching knee not to make any difference to us? Don’t we simply keep sitting? This is one way of understanding “oneness.” It’s an important part of Zen practice not to be buffeted about by our likes and dislikes and sitting still regardless of how we feel

In Japan, poems should not be tethered to the entanglement of a person’s ego. Humility, modesty, and a keen eye for small details in the natural environment are key attributes. As Basho said, “If you want to learn about the pine, then go to the pine, if you want to learn about the bamboo, then go to the bamboo. When you have become one with them, t

The Buddha is not attached to the appearance of buddhahood but manifests a buddha’s lack of self.