Daishin Quotes

It isn't so terrible to think logically and to be analytical; if we are designing a bridge or balancing a checkbook, that's the best way to think and the best way to be. But when we look carefully, we see that discursive, linear thinking is only useful for certain kinds of tasks; for others it is quite useless. Like the hammer or the toothbrush, discursive thought is a tool intended for certain kinds of jobs: If you use a hammer to brush your teeth, or a toothbrush to drive nails, you are not likely to meet with great success. ~ John Daishin Buksbazen

Difficulties only become problems when we separate ourselves from them instead of dealing with them directly and wholeheartedly. ~ John Daishin Buksbazen

In studying ourselves, we find the harmony that is our total existence. We do not make harmony. We do not achieve it or gain it. It is there all the time. Here we are, in the midst of this perfect way, and our practice is simply to realize it and then to actualize it in our everyday life. ~ John Daishin Buksbazen

To practice Zen means to realize one's existence in the beauty and clarity of this present moment, rather than letting life unravel in useless daydreaming of the past and future. ~ John Daishin Buksbazen

Our task is to accept each moment and move on from there, continuing to do our level best. ~ John Daishin Buksbazen