Zen Masters Quotes

“Most spiritual teachers do not consciously and intentionally deceive. However, ignorance of the ego does not make a saint. Good questions to ask about spiritual teachers are:
Are there rules and regulations?
Does the teacher need or want certain things back?
Is the teacher asking for a lot of money?
Does this teacher’s presence or writing transform me?
Do I feel closer to God by listening to this teacher?

We want the attention to be drawn not to the personal teacher but to the impersonal divinity of those listening. The focus is not on the teacher but on the true spirit within each of us. We want to feel God rising within. Otherwise, the capacity of the teacher to aid our long-term transformation will be limited. Genuine teachers quickly divert attention away from themselves. They do this so that the focus is on the needs of the student and not on themselves. If they have outgrown the desire for personal attention, they will do this very naturally.”
― Donna Goddard, The Love of Devotion

“The disciple asked: Master, does the fact that our temple was built on a high mountain indicate our determination to approach a mystical intelligent power in the heavens? The master replied: No! It just expresses our desire to escape from the fool below!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." According to Dante, these lines are written over the gates of Hell. Zen masters, by contrast, have high hopes for going to Hell. For them, out of bottomless compassion, we should want to go to Hell. When asked by a college student in America if he thought people go to Heaven after they die, the modern Rinzai Zen master Fukushima Keidō replied: "Only the ego wants to go to Heaven!”
― Bret W Davis, Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism

“A Zen Master uses concepts and words like everyone else; but he is neither conditioned nor captivated by these concepts and these words. The language of Zen always aims at destroying the habits of those who only know how to think by concepts. It tends to provoke crises, whose function it is to bring to fruition the precious moment of Awakening.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice

“Student: Master, can a meteorite fall on our head while we are walking? Master: Yes, it can fall! Student: What precautions can we take against this? Master: Try to strengthen your head! Student: But I want a realistic measure that works! Master: Then let me tell you something realistic: There is no possibility of a meteorite falling on your head, because nothing can fall on something that does not exist!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“There is no perfect Zen master. All teachers have their faults and bad habits (some have developed even worse habits than ordinary people). But as long as the person has clarified the true Dharma, he or she should be more aware than any one of those faults and be engaged in the arduous post-enlightenment practice of wiping them away. If the person is not making such an effort, then the true Dharma that was supposed to have been clarified becomes suspect.”
― Kōun Yamada, Zen: The Authentic Gate

“Zen masters encourage above all the overcoming of dualities. Enlightenment is an experience of oneness.”
― Heinrich Dumoulin, Zen Enlightenment: Origins And Meaning

“Student: Master, I haven't been able to create any meaning in my life, what should I do now? Master: Continue living meaninglessly, it's better than not living at all!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan