Zen Proverbs

Zen Proverbs distill Chan-Buddhist insight into sharp, paradoxical lines. Born from meditation halls and koan practice, they praise simplicity, direct experience, and calm mind amid change.

The infinite is in the finite of every instant. (Zen Proverb)
Better to see the face than to hear the name. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Better to struggle with a sick jackass than carry the wood by yourself. View proverb
Zen Proverb
From the withered tree, a flower blooms. View proverb
Zen Proverb
No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Chop wood, carry water. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself. View proverb
Zen Proverb
The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. They turn to each other and say We did it ourselves. View proverb
Zen Proverb
The tighter you squeeze, the less you have. (Zen Proverb)
To know and not do is not yet to know. View proverb
Zen Proverb
When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear. View proverb
Zen Proverb
When you reach the top, keep climbing. View proverb
Zen Proverb
A beautiful woman who is pleasing to men is good only for frightening fish when she falls into the water. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish your opinions. View proverb
Zen Proverb
If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Let go over a cliff, die completely, and then come back to life -- after that you cannot be deceived. View proverb
Zen Proverb
One day a student asked Taiga, "What is the most difficult part of painting?" Taiga answered, "The part of the paper where nothing is painted is the most difficult." View proverb
Zen Proverb
If you want a certain thing, you must first be a certain person. Once you are that certain person, obtaining that certain thing will no longer be a concern of yours. (Zen Proverb)
It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes, but an even wiser man to learn from others. View proverb
Zen Proverb
Knock on the sky and Listen to the sound. View proverb
Zen Proverb
To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master. View proverb
Zen Proverb
When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink; but when you try to sink, you float. View proverb
Zen Proverb