89 Zen phrases that will touch your soul

What are the best Zen phrases and reflections that can transport you to a new world?

Zen is a Buddhist school that emerged in India and developed in China, which aims to raise awareness.

In the West, this philosophy is closely related to mental and physical well-being and meditation and, in recent years, it has become very popular. For it helps to escape from the fast-paced life we live in Western societies, encouraging self-awareness and relaxation and helping people to "be in the here and now".

The best Zen phrases

Throughout history there are many authors who have pronounced Zen phrases.. In today's article, you will find a list of the best phrases on this subject. Enjoy them!

1. The things I carry are my thoughts. They are my only weight. My thoughts determine whether I am free and light or heavy and burdened

Kamal Ravikant. Constantly reminiscing about things is a heavy burden.

2. Meditation is the new mobile device; it can be used anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively

Sharon Salzberg. It is possible to benefit from meditation anywhere, anytime.

3. Only the hand that erases can write the true.

Meister Eckharta Zen phrase to reflect on the truth.

4. Those who are free from resentment will surely find peace.

Buddhaspeaking about hatred and resentment.

5. Worried about a single leaf you will not see the tree.

If you focus your attention only on the negative aspects you will not see the positive.

6. It is curious that life, the emptier it is, the heavier it weighs.

A reflection on the personal development of each one of us.

7. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few possibilities.

The beginner's mind is a pure and non-judgmental mind.

 

8. Just as parents take care of their children, you should take into account the whole universe.

Zen Master DogenA phrase about taking care of oneself.

9. Three things can no longer be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.

Another great reflection of the great Buddha.

10. If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where do you expect to find it?

The present is the only moment we can live.

11. My experience tells me that most things are not as bad as I thought they would be.

We tend to worry too much about the things that happen to us.

12. What we can change are our perceptions, which have the effect of changing everything.

Donna Quesada. It is not events that affect us, but how we interpret them.

13. We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.

Buddha. We are what we think and act upon it.

14. Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Dalai Lama. Not getting what you want can be an opportunity to achieve other things.

15. You are not your thoughts. This simple statement can make a big change in the quality of your life.

Dawn Gluskin. A Zen phrase with a certain tone of irony.

16. Mindfulness is not complicated, we just have to remember to do it.

Sharon Salzberg, Mindfulness requires attitude and practice.

17. One thing: you have to walk and create the path by walking; you won't find a ready-made path. It is not cheap to reach the highest realization of truth. You will have to create the path by walking on your own; the path is not ready-made waiting for you. It is just like the sky: the birds fly but leave no footprints. You can't follow them; there are no footprints behind

Osho. Each of us must carve out our own destiny, because destiny is not written.

18. There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.

A reflection on the relationship between fears and desires.

19. The object of your desire is not an object

A quote from Jack Gardnera thought-provoking quote.

20. True love is born of understanding

According to Zen philosophy, love can only be understood through understanding.

21. Better than a thousand empty words, a single word that can bring peace.

In this quotation he exposes the importance of a word full of feeling.

22. Escape from the world means that one's world is not preoccupied with the world's opinions.

One should not concern oneself with what others think of him...

23. Purity and impurity come from oneself; no one can purify another.

Buddha emphasizes the central role of one's own mind.

24. A fool is known by his actions, a wise man is also known by his actions.

We are what we do, that is, the actions we take.

25. Firmly, train yourself to achieve peace.

This phrase refers to the search for inner peace.

26. We can only lose what we cling to.

We should not become attached to our emotions, but observe them and let them pass.

27. Stress comes from the way you relate to events or situations.

Chris Prentiss. Events or situations do not stress us, but how we interpret them.

28. Fill your mind with compassion

Compassion is one of the principles of Zen philosophy.

29. All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

Buddha. Our thoughts determine who we are.

30. How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.

Wayne Dyer. A quote about Karma from this well-known author.

31. To think about nothing is Zen. Once you know this, walking, sitting or lying down, everything you do is Zen.

Zen philosophy envelops you and becomes part of your daily life.

32. It is better to travel well than to arrive

You have to live in the present to get to the future.

33. Problems that remain persistently unsolved should be taken as questions that are incorrectly asked.

Alan Wilson WattsThe problem-solving question, on problem-solving.

34. The more you know, the less you need

Yvon Chouinard. Wisdom makes you need less.

 

35. If you can bring your consciousness, your intelligence into the act, if you can be spontaneous, then there is no need for any religion, life becomes itself in religion.

Osho. A quote about self-knowledge and about the present and spontaneity.

36. You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself.

If you do not focus on the present and your senses you will not move forward.

37. The meaning of the spiritual life is to realize the truth. But you will never understand the spiritual life, or the truth, if you measure it by your own standards.

Dainin Katagiri. An interesting quote for reflection.

38. The power of the mind is unconquerable

Seneca speaks to us about the power of the mind.

39. Stress is an ignorant state. With it you think everything is an emergency. Nothing is so important.

Natalie Goldberg. Stress is a problem that dents our days.

40. The answer is never "out there." All the answers are "in there", inside you, wanting to be discovered.

Chris Prentiss. A phrase about self-knowledge and its importance to be happy.

41. I have lived with many Zen masters, many of them cats.

Eckhart Tolle. A reflection on Zen masters.

42. Every human being is the author of his own health or sickness.

Another quote from Buddha referring to one's health.

43. We should live every day like people who have just been rescued from the moon.

A great Zen phrase by Thích Nhất Hạnh.

44. If you want to learn, teach. If you need inspiration, inspire others. If you are sad, cheer someone up.

A curious phrase about attitude.

45. If you want to master the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.

A quote that clearly refers to Buddhist meditation.

46. The mind's greatest trick is the illusion that it exists.

Marty Rubin. The mind is very powerful.

47. To teach others, you must first do something very hard: you must straighten yourself out.

In order to teach, as in order to love, you must first get in touch with your own self.

48. You can be happy if you are willing to let go of your past and free yourself from obstacles in order to fly.

The past weighs so heavily that it keeps you from flying in the direction you want to go.

49. There is no fire like passion: there is no evil like hatred.

Hatred is one of the worst defects of the human being.

50. Presence is when you no longer wait for the next moment, believing that the next moment will be fuller than this one.

The present is the only way to live the best future.

51. If you add a little to the little, and you do it often, soon a little will become a lot.

The importance of constancy and perseverance highlighted in this quote.

52. Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor

Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the great figures of mindfulness, in a clear reference to meditation.

53. Wealth consists much more in enjoyment than in possession.

Zen philosophy is totally opposed to materialism.

54. Better a word that calms the listener than a thousand absurd verses.

In the brief may be the key.

55. The worst aggression to ourselves, the worst of all, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and respect to treat ourselves with honesty and tenderness.

Pema Chödrön. Treating oneself with respect is the key to well-being.

 

56. Walk as if you were kissing the earth with your feet.

Another of Thich Nhat Hanh's famous reflections on living in the here and now.

57. More than a thousand useless words, a single word that brings peace is worth more than a thousand useless words.

Words that lead to calm are the most useful.

58. Seek not the friendship of those whose souls are impure; seek not the company of men of wicked souls. Associate with those whose souls are beautiful and good. If you want to be happy, surround yourself with people who value your soul and know how to communicate in a positive way.

Surround yourself with people with good hearts.

59. Your duty is to discover your world and then give yourself to it with all your heart.

We must live unique experiences because they make us wise.

60. We must be aware that what causes us discomfort or anxiety are not the events, but how we link our emotions to them.

Events do not upset us, but what we think about them and how we interpret them.

61. As a solid rock does not move in the wind, so the wise man remains unperturbed by slander and flattery.

People with experience and wisdom know the importance of loving oneself.

62. What we are today rests on what we thought yesterday, and our present thoughts forge our future life.

The future is gone and the past is yet to be lived. What matters is the present.

63. We are in this world to live together in harmony. Those who know this do not fight among themselves and attain inner peace.

Peace in the world is achieved with inner peace.

64. Long is the night to him who lies awake; long is the mile to him who goes weary; long is life to the fool who does not know the true law.

A phrase that leaves the interpretation open.

65. With our thoughts we create the world

The world that we have created is but a reflection of our thoughts.

66. The greatest victory is the one won over oneself.

The first thing you have to do to achieve personal success is to know yourself.

67. By effort, vigilance, discipline and self-control, the wise man creates for himself an island which the flood cannot destroy.

Wise people build the world around them according to their experience.

68. If it has a solution, why do you cry? If there is no solution, why do you cry?

We should not waste this precious life lamenting over things that have no remedy.

69. Bless your friend...he enables you to grow.

He who has a friend, has a treasure, says a popular saying.

70. To live a detached life, one should not feel that one owns anything in the midst of abundance.

Abundance does not make much sense in Zen philosophy.

71. Your virtue should be to profess love and peace to those around you.

Giving peace and love to those around you makes you a virtuous person.

72. Just as a candle does not glow without fire, so man cannot exist without a spiritual life.

Spiritual life is connecting with our soul.

73. Doubt everything. Find your own light

Don't pay attention to what society wants to tell you. Be critical.

74. Conquering yourself is a greater task than conquering others.

Loving yourself is the best way to be happy.

75. The way out is through the door. Why does no one use this method?

One of Confucius' Zen phrases that focus on a philosophy of life based on simplicity.

76. Those who worship do not know, and those who know do not worship.

One of the aphorisms of the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma.

77. To forget oneself is to open oneself

A brief reflection of Dōgen, one of the great historical references of Buddhism in Japan.

78. Life is like preparing to set sail on a sinking ship.

A very graphic comparison with the idea of a person's life journey.

79. Many roads start from the mountainside, but at the top we can only look at the moon.

A phrase of Ikkyu, a Zen monk of the 15th century.

80. Everyone knows the path, but few walk it.

Another of Bodhidharma's phrases about how simple it is to live virtuously.

81. See not the mountains from the scale of human thoughts.

Humility and awareness of one's limitations are essential in life.

82. The aim of practice is always to maintain your beginner's mind.

It is necessary to maintain freshness and creativity in order to develop properly.

83. When someone dies, that is a great lesson

One of the Zen phrases of Shunryu Suzuki, a monk and disseminator of Buddhism.

84. I would rather be defeated in the presence of the wise than stand out among the ignorant.

Another of Dōgen's phrases about the importance of surrounding oneself with wise people.

85. To be divested of words is liberation

Bodhidharma speaks about that psychological facet beyond language which, according to him, constitutes life.

86. One must be very conscious of the constant flowing of the world.

The motionless does not exist, it is an illusion.

87. The river that flows around you also flows around me.

There are no isolated people, we are all part of the same reality. This is a phrase of Kabir, an Indian religious reference.

88. How incomplete is someone who needs to have many things?

A reflection by Sen no Rikyū on renunciation.

89. We sit together, the mountain and I, until only the mountain remains.

A poetic phrase by Li Bai, Chinese poet.