Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.
DogenRead
Do not view mountains from the scale of human thought.
Interpretation
What this quote means
One should not limit their understanding of nature's grandeur to human perspectives.
This quote by Dogen suggests that human thought is often restricted and may not fully capture the vastness and complexity of the natural world. By urging us to refrain from viewing mountains solely through the lens of our own limited understanding, it encourages a deeper appreciation of nature's majesty and the recognition that there is more to existence than what we can comprehend or rationalize.
Themes
MountainsNaturePerspectiveUnderstandingThought
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy discussion on the limitations of human perception.
More from Dogen
All quotes βIn the assemblies of the enlightened ones there have been many cases of mastering the Way bringing forth the heart of plants and trees; this is what awakening the mind for enlightenment is like. The fifth patriarch of Zen was once a pine-planting wayfarer; Rinzai worked on planting cedars and pines on Mount Obaku. . . . Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment.
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To start from the self and try to understand all things is delusion. To let the self be awakened by all things is enlightenment.
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A fool sees himself as another, but a wise man sees others as himself.
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Do not travel to other dusty lands, forsaking your own sitting place; if you cannot find the truth where you are now, you will never find it.
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Do no harmful actions, do not become attached to the cycle of death and rebirth, show kindness, respect the old and have compassion for the young, do not have a heart that rejects or a heart that covets and have no worry or sadness in your heart. This is what is called enlightenment. Do not seek it elsewhere.
DogenRead
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