For Zen students, a weed is a treasure.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
No teaching could be more direct than just to sit down.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The essence of teaching can be found in simple presence rather than complex instructions.
Shunryu Suzuki's quote emphasizes the profound impact of being present and engaged in the learning process. It suggests that sometimes the most effective way to teach is to embody the lessons you wish to convey, demonstrating understanding through action rather than verbal instruction. This approach allows students to learn by observing and experiencing rather than merely being told what to do.
Themes
TeachingPresenceLearningEducationExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on mindfulness, the facilitator adopted a quiet presence to encourage participants to connect with their own thoughts.
More from Shunryu Suzuki
All quotes βIf you take pride in your attainment or become discouraged because of your idealistic effort, your practice will confine you by a thick wall.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
Everything is perfect, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
When you do not realize that you are one with the river, or one with the universe, you have fear. Whether it is separated into drops or not, water is water. Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
Leave your front door and your back door open. _x000D_ Allow your thoughts to come and go. _x000D_ Just don't serve them tea.
Shunryu SuzukiRead
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