Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.
DogenRead
One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Awareness of impermanence can lead to deeper insights about life.
Dogen's quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing that everything in the world is transient and subject to change. This awareness can provoke profound reflections on the nature of existence, encouraging us to appreciate the present moment and find meaning in our experiences before they inevitably transform or fade away.
Themes
ImpermanenceAwarenessLifeChangeTransience
In practice
Example use cases
During a mindfulness workshop, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of living in the moment.
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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