Zen Buddhism quotes

Welcome to our Zen Buddhism quotes page! Here, you will find a collection of insightful and thought-provoking quotes that encapsulate the essence of Zen Buddhism. Zen Buddhism, rooted in the teachings of the Buddha, emphasizes the practice of meditation and mindfulness, seeking to awaken individuals to their true nature and cultivate enlightenment.

Within these pages, you will encounter quotes from renowned Zen masters, ancient scriptures, and contemporary thinkers who have delved deep into the principles and practices of Zen Buddhism. These quotes capture the simplicity, tranquility, and profound wisdom that Zen Buddhism offers, inviting us to embark on a journey of self-discovery and inner exploration.

Exploring the quotes on this page, you will find profound insights into the nature of reality, the impermanence of life, the power of presence, and the art of letting go. These teachings encourage us to live in the present moment, to embrace each experience with open curiosity, and to cultivate a mindset of non-attachment and acceptance.

Whether you are already familiar with Zen Buddhism or are new to its teachings, we hope that the quotes on this page will inspire and encourage you to delve deeper into the transformative power of Zen. So take a moment to breathe, relax, and immerse yourself in the profound wisdom of these Zen Buddhism quotes.

D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Personal experience, therefore, is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Until we recognize the SELF that exists apart from who we think we are - we cannot know the Ch'an ( ZEN ) MIND
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Zen purposes to discipline the mind itself, to make it its own master, through an insight into its proper nature. This getting into the real nature of one's own mind or soul is the fundamental object of Zen Buddhism. Zen, therefore, is more than meditation and Dhyana in its ordinary sense. The discipline of Zen consists in opening the mental eye in order to look into the very reason of existence.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
To be a good Zen Buddhist it is not enough to follow the teaching of its founder; we have to experience the Buddha's experience.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Suzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism... We cannot be sufficiently grateful to the author, first for the fact of his having brought Zen closer to Western understanding, and secondly for the manner in which he has achieved this task.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of the enlivening spirit of the Buddha, stripped of all its historical and doctrinal garments.
D.T. Suzuki
D.T. Suzuki
Pioneer of Zen Buddhism in the West
Prophecy is rash, but it may be that the publication of D.T. Suzuki's first Essays in Zen Buddhism in 1927 will seem to future generations as great an intellectual event as William of Moerbeke's Latin translations of Aristotle in the thirteenth century or Marsiglio Ficino's of Plato in the fifteenth.