Zen Stories Quotes

“Disciple: Master, tell me, was my coming to this temple a plan of fate? Master: We teach in this temple the absence of fate, the supremacy of reason. Now tell me, did fate bring you here?”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, how can I reach the end of an endless road? Master: How can I answer a question that has no answer?”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, you told me to leave the temple, what mistake did I make? Master: No mistake! You've learned a lot here, your load has become heavy, it's time to unload it! What is full must be emptied!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, I was told that in this temple you would teach me to think, and here I am! Master: You were told wrong! Here you will learn not to think, but to think correctly!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I look behind me, I have no followers, I feel very sad! Master: You don't have to be a follower, as long as you leave a good trace, maybe someone will follow you a year or a thousand years later! The important thing is to leave a beautiful and eye-opening trace!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, you told me that when you look outside, sometimes you see outside, sometimes you see inside! I thought about this a lot but I didn't understand anything! Master: If you have problems in your mind when you look outside, you will see your own problems, your own inside, not outside! The outer world truly appears before you only when your inner world is at peace!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, who should I be angry with if the door is closed? The one who closes the door or the door itself, because if there was no door, there would be no one who closed it! Master: Neither be angry at the person who closes the door, nor at the door! Get angry at your mind that gets angry because the door is closed!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, waiting for the future is so boring! Can't we bring the future to the present? Master: Yes, there is a way to bring the future to the present, for example, if you take a knife and kill yourself, you can bring your future death to the present, that is, you bring your entire future to the present!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, you don't talk much! Master: Yes, because when you talk you cannot hear what the universe is telling you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I will join your temple, what will I be here? Master: Here we take the logs and make a beautiful wooden sculpture out of them! So you will transform into something else here! Student: But I'm not a log, am I? Master: In this temple, what matters is not how you see yourself, but how we see you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: What should someone who follows his leader but is much smarter than that leader do, master? Master: Let me correct this mistake first, a person who is smarter than his leader but still follows his leader is definitely not smart! If you're following someone less smart than you, you're stupid!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I have experienced so many things in my life that it was as if a mysterious force had written a destiny for me! Master: Don't talk nonsense! It is your mind, your abilities, your belief in yourself or your foolishness, miscalculations and weakness in your belief in yourself that writes your destiny and determines your direction!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, why do volcanoes erupt? Master: Because no one takes a silent volcano seriously!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Master: Sit in a remote place where no one passes and wait for someone to pass! Student: What if no one passes, master? I will rot there! Master: If no one passes, you assume someone has passed and return to the temple! The developed mind is the mind that is flexible!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I saw a man looking at the wall, but there was nothing on the wall, the man was definitely crazy! Master: Maybe you saw a wall looking at the man, and the man was a clever man trying to figure out why the wall was looking at him!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, I am trying hard, but what will I do if I cannot achieve enlightenment? Master: This universe is full of surprises, if you cannot reach enlightenment, maybe enlightenment will reach you! The hand can reach out to the hand that reaches out!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, what happens if we bring tomorrow to today and live tomorrow today? Master: If you bring tomorrow to today, there will be no tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, you will disappear because you have nowhere to go!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Master: Yes, it will happen! Student: What will happen, master? Master: I don't know! Student: But you said it will happen, master! Master: Yes, it will happen, but I don't know what will happen, because something always happens!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, what will this temple give me? Master: This temple will not give you anything! Disciple: But I came here to take something! Master: There is nothing for you to take here; everything is within you, we will help you to take something from within yourself, that's all! Disciple: What if there is nothing within me, Master? Master: Then you will get nothing!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“If we can unify the apparent duality between the great uncontrollable energy and the natural wisdom of our monkey mind, if we moderate its impulsive tendencies and incorporate its intuitive wisdom, we can express our being in all its capacity and transform into calm and enlightened individuals.”
― Oeset Drakir, The Zen Wisdom and the Monkey Mind: Zen Teachings to Unify Your Inner Self, Calm Your Mind, Overcome Anxiety, and Live with Wisdom and Fulfillment

“Student: Master, today I saw a wonderful house in nature. Master: So, what did you feel? Student: I felt sad because impermanence applies to everything! Master: Fool! Impermanence also has a problem of impermanence, impermanence is also afraid that one day it might turn into permanence, everything will be defeated one day, if only you had thought about such things and lived the beauty of the moment for a while! You fool!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, why did you put the candles in front of the window? So that they can watch the view outside? So that they can learn to stand against the blowing wind? So that they can warm the cold wind outside? Master: I put them there just so that you can ask questions like these and exercise your mind!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I asked you yesterday to show me a way out of the problem I mentioned! But you still haven't! Master: I showed you! I said don't doubt that you will find a way out, this is the way out!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, can you give me three important pieces of advice about life? Master: First, do whatever you set your mind to! Student: And the second? Master: Second, do whatever you set your mind to! And the third, do whatever you set your mind to!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, tomorrow is your birthday. We want to buy you a very nice gift, what would you like? Master: Time! Student: I don't understand, master! Master: I need time, the most precious treasure, the most precious gift! Give me the gift of 'time'!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“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

“Student: Master, a large tree is threatening to encircle our temple building. Shall I cut it down? Master: You've misunderstood. A beautiful tree is being disturbed by our temple building. Demolish the temple! We can rebuild the temple in 3 months, but we can't create this tree in 30 years!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Disciple: Master, should I be happy when I wake up in the morning to the mystery of a foggy day or to the brightness of a sunny day? Master: Be happy that you woke up in the morning, that's more than enough!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, I suspect you haven't taught me everything! Master: You're right to have your doubts! I've taught you what I know, and there are things I don't know, and I can't teach them to you!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“Student: Master, when sleep knocks on my door, I immediately open the door and invite it in! Master: If you do this, sleep will think you love it very much and will let you sleep for a long time! Resist sleep so it doesn't always take you for granted and pounce on you at every opportunity!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan