Zen quotes I Like

When a student asked Master Guanffan" What am I" he replied ""What is there in the universe that is not you?"

Here it is - right now. Start thinking about it and you miss it Huang - Po.

To follow the way do not push away anything, even sensual experiences and thoughts. In fact to accept them completely is enlightenment. Seng-T'- San.

From the wisdom of the Zen Masters by Timothy Freke.

"....Here it is right now. Start thinking about it and you miss it."

I loved that one! Aaaaahhh sooo great and thanks for this special thread dreamer.

I have a question for any and all. What's the (sort n' easy) difference if any, between "Zen" and "Dao"? I ask because I had a past life with an amazing Master (about a hundred years before the Buddha incarnated) and he constantly said wonderfully simple but profound truths much like the one above and laughed a lot! He was and still is just "Master ****" to me but I don't know if he was a "Zen Master" or what? Thanks for the help with this everyone. Here's one of many that I remember him teaching me in that past life...

"Always leave that door of eternal possibilites wide open Little One. Don't limit the rice in your bowl to be ONLY rice when it can be anything you can think of!"

Thanks Lapis, its always nice to hear apreciation, I like that quote of your old master too.

another I like is "when you try to stop oing to achieve being, this very effort fills you with doing" and also "don't search for truth, just stop having opinions"

As to the difference between Zen and Taoism, essentially like all philosophies they are the same but peripherally, Zen derives from a mixture of Taoism and Buddhism, Buddhism travelled up fom India Taoism down from China, they met and were transported over to Japan where Zen grew in strength and poularity, as with any good new idea it needs space from old rooted ways of thinking to flourish and develop and Japan was such a place. This is my understanding anyway, althouh whether it is to be trusted is open to debate hee,hee.

Oh dear god I misspelled Tao (Dao) .... just terrible!

Thanks so much dreamer for that very clear and easy way of remembering where these main 2 wisdoms came from. I'll remember it the way you said it!

There's something so soothing and comical about these profound spiritual one-liners from these guys, they always make me smile and feel grateful at the same time.

Can't resist a flippant/slightly relevant entry:-
What did the Zen Buddhist say to the hot dog seller?
"Make me one with everything"...

I don't think this is a zen quote and I don't remember were I read this.
But I like it.

A samurai once asked a Zen master
"What happens to us when we die?"
The Zen master replied "How would I know?"
The samurai, somewhat taken aback exclaimed "But you are a Zen master!"
The master replied "Yes, but a live one!"