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Daily Wisdom from The Zen Book of Life
Sit quietly doing nothingSpring comes,
And the grass growsBy itself.
—ZEN WISDOM (SAYING)
Out of clutter,fi nd simplicity.From discord,fi nd harmony.
In the middle of diffi cultylies opportunity.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN
Inspired by the teachings of the Buddha and other great masters, teachers, and writers, this is a book designed to help people connect to their inner divinity and fi nd their own spiritual path. It is overfl owing with profound quotes, sayings, and insights, each presented alone, allowing the reader to dip in at any time. Each reading is guaranteed to inspire and provide food for thought.
Quotations and sayings have been chosen from Gautama Buddha and other “buddhas”—masters of spirituality and inspiration such as Milarepa, Longchenpa, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Sogyal Rinpoche, along with other greats including Cicero, Rumi, Lao Tzu, Mother Teresa, and Shakespeare.
This is a wonderful book to place on your desk, coffee table, or bookshelf or by your bed. It is designed to provide daily comfort, wisdom, and spiritual nourishment.
Mark Zocchi, founding director of Brolga Publishing, has been in the book trade since 1978.
His career includes managing indepen-dent bookstores, working as the national marketing manager of a 200-store book chain, and consulting to high-profi le authors, publishers, and retail book chains.
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Copyright © 2019by Mark Zocchi
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, llc. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Previously published in 2011 as Zen Wisdom and Other
Masters by Brolga Publishing Pty Ltd, ISBN: 9781921221798.
Cover artwork: “The Red Dance,” watercolour and guache. © Tim Hayward. Private Collection/Bridgeman Images
Illustrations by Mark Zocchi, and other select stock sources.Cover and interior design by Kathryn Sky-Peck
Typeset in Weiss
Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.Charlottesville, VA 22906
Distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser, llc
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ISBN: 978-1-64297-004-3Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.
Printed in CanadaMAR
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3
Zen in its essence
is the art of seeing
into the nature of one’s being,
and it points the way
from bondage to freedom.
D.T. SUZUKI
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4
Although I try to hold
the single thought
Of Buddha’s teaching in my heart,
I cannot help but hear the many
crickets’ voices calling as well.
ISUMI SHIKIBU
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5
We accept the graceful falling
Of mountain cherry blossoms,
But it is much harder for us
To fall away from our own
Attachment to the world
ZEN WISDOM
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7
When my house burned down
I gained
An unobstructed view
of the moonlight sky
ZEN WISDOM
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8
Out of clutter,
fi nd simplicity.
From discord,
fi nd harmony.
In the middle of diffi culty
lies opportunity.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
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9
With plum blossom scent,
This sudden sun emerges
Along a mountain trail
BASHO
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10
You the butterfl y–
I, Chuang Tzu’s
dreaming heart.
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11
It is not diffi cult to keep
a beginners mind.
There are many possibilities
in a beginners mind,
but in the expert few.
SUSKI ROSHI
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13
Zen is simply . . .
That state of centeredness
which is here and now.
ALAN WATTS
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15
The world?
Moonlit water drops
From the crane’s bill
ZEN MASTER DOGEN
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