Zen Quotes Quotes

“Disciple: Master, tomorrow I will go to my village and stay for a few weeks and rest, will you bless me before I go? Master: If you really want to be blessed, get to know different people of different lives rather than your own village!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I did exactly as you said, climbed the stairs, wandered through narrow streets, talked to many different people, read books, but still did not gain wisdom! Master: Oh yeah, then do the opposite of what I said, maybe it will work! Student: You're mocking me, master! Master: No! If one path did not lead you to success, you will try another path, that's what I'm telling you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student asked: Master, you know me very well, what is the biggest obstacle in my way? The master replied: The biggest obstacle in your way and everyone else's is the person himself!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, you are a wise man, give me the secret of happiness! Master: Is there a nail where you are sitting? Student: No, master. Master: Then you're happy! Student: What if I said there is a nail on my seat, master? Master: Then I would say stand up and be happy!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“True healers don't come to heal. They come to remind others of the healer within.”
― Kierra C.T. Banks

“While there is nothing wrong with thinking big and chasing your dreams, it is also sad when you realize that most of us tend to forget how to “live in the moment.” We become so overwhelmed by our own thoughts and feelings of the past and the future that we forget all about how precious the present is.”
― Anong Sasithorn, Zen: The Secrets You Need to Know to Achieve the Zen Mindset and Happiness in Life

“Life is a divine play, it's non-purposive. Just enjoy the stage and its characters.”
― Leela Tripathi, 5 secrets revealed of zen peace: Your journey towards the Inner Peace

“Student: Master, that huge mountain standing in front of me always seems stronger than me no matter what I do! Master: The Mountain in front of you is physically strong, you are mentally strong, and therefore it is you, not the mountain, that is huge!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I can understand that clean water is holy, but I can't understand that dirty water is holy! Master: Blind faith is not for those who want to understand, but it is for those who do not want to understand or who cannot understand!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“what is it about the sky
on cold wintry nights
in the morning
there was dew on trees.”
― Meeta Ahluwalia

“Either you want change or you want comfort, but you can't have both.”
― Kierra C.T. Banks

“Student: Master, I am thinking of crossing a very large desert without food and water, what do you say? Master: I say try to cross a small desert with water and food first!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, tell me, was my coming to this temple a plan of fate? Master: We teach in this temple the absence of fate, the supremacy of reason. Now tell me, did fate bring you here?”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, how can I reach the end of an endless road? Master: How can I answer a question that has no answer?”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, you told me to leave the temple, what mistake did I make? Master: No mistake! You've learned a lot here, your load has become heavy, it's time to unload it! What is full must be emptied!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, I set my goal, I identified the roads that will take me there, and I carefully planned how to get there using those roads, I hope I can get there! Is there anything I am missing? Master: The most important thing is missing! You are not sure that you will reach there, your faith is missing!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, can I ask you a question? Master: You can't ask because I'm not here! Student: But if you're not here, who is this talking? Master: Of course I am talking, but not my mind, my mind is not here! Student: And where is your mind, master? Master: I don't know, go ask my mind!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, I was told that in this temple you would teach me to think, and here I am! Master: You were told wrong! Here you will learn not to think, but to think correctly!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, you don't talk much! Master: Yes, because when you talk you cannot hear what the universe is telling you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I will join your temple, what will I be here? Master: Here we take the logs and make a beautiful wooden sculpture out of them! So you will transform into something else here! Student: But I'm not a log, am I? Master: In this temple, what matters is not how you see yourself, but how we see you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Pebble's ripple fades
echoes of mindfulness lingers long
tranquil pond of the present”
― Monika Ajay Kaul

“A student asked the master, "What is the secret to tranquility?"
The master replied, "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
― Monika Ajay Kaul

“Master: Sit in a remote place where no one passes and wait for someone to pass! Student: What if no one passes, master? I will rot there! Master: If no one passes, you assume someone has passed and return to the temple! The developed mind is the mind that is flexible!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, you said that death is very cunning... Master: Yes, death is so cunning that it made everyone accept the lie that it cannot be destroyed, and engraved in your mind that it is invincible! Remember, what you are sure will defeat you will always defeat you! The way to defeat your enemy is, first of all, by firmly believing that your enemy is not invincible!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I saw a man looking at the wall, but there was nothing on the wall, the man was definitely crazy! Master: Maybe you saw a wall looking at the man, and the man was a clever man trying to figure out why the wall was looking at him!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, I am trying hard, but what will I do if I cannot achieve enlightenment? Master: This universe is full of surprises, if you cannot reach enlightenment, maybe enlightenment will reach you! The hand can reach out to the hand that reaches out!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, what happens if we bring tomorrow to today and live tomorrow today? Master: If you bring tomorrow to today, there will be no tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, you will disappear because you have nowhere to go!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, what will this temple give me? Master: This temple will not give you anything! Disciple: But I came here to take something! Master: There is nothing for you to take here; everything is within you, we will help you to take something from within yourself, that's all! Disciple: What if there is nothing within me, Master? Master: Then you will get nothing!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“A life of great riches and all the time in the world to spend them is no reward for any soul. A life without burden, a life without suffering, a life without struggle is no life indeed. Only the most admirable can endure the most intolerable. Only the truly noble can live amongst filth and waste. For strength and virtue is the richness that such a soul deserves. Better then, to be a piece of gold covered in shit, then to be a piece of shit, covered in gold”
― C. Sean McGee, {self-titled}

“If we can unify the apparent duality between the great uncontrollable energy and the natural wisdom of our monkey mind, if we moderate its impulsive tendencies and incorporate its intuitive wisdom, we can express our being in all its capacity and transform into calm and enlightened individuals.”
― Oeset Drakir, The Zen Wisdom and the Monkey Mind: Zen Stories to Discover the Natural Power of your Mind, Live with Fullness, Joy and Wisdom