The Zen Life Quotes

“The historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, rejected the severe ascetic practices of the Hindu priests of his day. He did, however, advocate. moderation in all things, particularly in regard to food and clothing. He warned against becoming attached to luxurious food and recommended that a man only fill his stomach two-thirds of the way full, leaving one-third empty. He taught that beautiful clothing causes greed and a fear of robbers while dirty clothing makes one prone to sickness, thus preventing one's practice of the Way, and therefore, together with other obstacles, should be avoided. I think it is quite clear that even from today's perspective these teachings are very reasonable.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“Although zazen is certainly not all there is to Zen, a Zen which lacks zazen may be said to be no Zen at all.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“The normal daily routine varies somewhat according to the monastery, but, taking Kyoto's Sokoku-ji as an example, the monks schedule generally follows this pattern. The monks rise at 3 A.M., quickly rinse out their mouths with one scoopful of water, wash their faces and immediately begin the morning sutra recitation. Following this they have an opportunity to have a private interview with the roshi; those monks not doing so practice zazen. Breakfast is next, followed by zazen and daily cleaning. On days set aside for them, lectures begin from 7 A.M. in the summer and 8 A.M. in the winter. On days for mendicancy, the monks leave the monastery immediately after the daily cleaning. The midday meal is served at 10 A.M. on lecture days and at 11 A.M. when the monks have been out practicing mendicancy. Following lunch the monks may do zazen individually until 1 P.M., when the manual labor period begins. This manual labor, continuing until 3 P.M. in winter and 4 P.M. in summer, is followed by the evening sutra recitation. The evening meal is eaten at 3:30 P.M. in winter and 4 P.M. in summer. As dusk falls, evening zazen begins, and the monks once more have the opportunity to visit the roshi in his room. The day formally ends at 8 P.M. in winter and 9 P.M. in summer, although not until 10 P.M. during sesshin. Truly, a monastic day is a full and earnest one.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“The hardest training that takes place in a Zen monastery during the year is known as the rohatsu dai sesshin, an intensive period of Zazen lasting from the first of December to the morning of the eighth, that commemorates the enlightenment of the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni. The word "sesshin" means to concentrate one's mind. This is accomplished through day and night practice of zazen and private interviews with the roshi during the week-long period.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“A Zen monastery is not a place where just anyone may train, but rather its doors are open to only those who earnestly aspire to study the Way.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“To do good for the sake of goodness, to do good while forgetting goodness—this is Zen training.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“The Zen life is not something which remains unchanged in spite of changes in customs, time periods, nationalities, cultures, and traditions. On the contrary, it is exactly in its adaptation to such changes that Zen expresses its creativity. It for this reason that there is room left for new growth on the part of Zen in the present age as well.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“By the time of the sixth patriarch, Hui-neng, it is recorded, monks were polishing rice as well as cutting firewood. That is to say, at this time manual labor had become an essential part of Zen training. The Zen master Pai-chang (720–814), whose Ching-kuei (Monastic Regulations) forms the model for Zen communal life, set the example himself for this kind of life by participating in manual labor with the other monks even in his old age. This was in accordance with his famous expression, "If one does not do any work for a day, one should not eat for a day." The Zen goal of living with an "ordinary mind" may be said to have been developed through a life such as this.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“In the hot climate of South Asia both food and clothing are no problem, since one can sleep almost naked under the trees and sustain oneself by eating wild fruit. In the severe climate of North Asia this is impossible. As the priests in South Asia do not do any manual labor, they are able to make do with only one meal a day, but in China this system is impossible. Even in the collection of regulations of the Zen sect written in the Tang dynasty (618–907) by the Chinese Zen master Pai-chang, provision is made for two daily meals: breakfast, consisting of rice gruel, and lunch, consisting of vegetables and rice. Later on, even an evening meal known as yaku seki (baked sone) came to be tacitly permitted.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life

“Zen has its origin in India and was introduced to China where it united with the thought of Lao-tsu and the realistically oriented world outlook of the Chinese, stressing as it does the value of human labor. Zen further developed by incorporating the Confucian emphasis on etiquette and culture, reaching its zenith in the period from the Tang through the Sung dynasty (618–1279). It was transmitted to Japan in the Kamakura period (1185–1336) where it not only contributed to the disciplining of the spirit of the emotionally prone Japanese people but also deeply influenced the military and fine arts as well as daily life in general.”
― Koji Sato, The Zen Life