Sabedoria Oriental

When you get there, there isn’t any there there.

A heavy snowfall disappears into the sea. What silence!

He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

It takes a wise man to learn from his mistakes,

but an even wiser man to learn from others.

One gains by losing and loses by gaining.

❖

Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes,

and the grass grows by itself.

The judgment of time is always done in the past tense.

The world is won by those who let it go.

Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.

The obstacle is the path. 

❖

Today a cow is eating grass;

tomorrow cow dung will make good fertilizer.

When walking, walk. When eating, eat.

What you possess, you lose.

Zen is like looking for the spectacles

that are sitting on your nose.

Can you see time?

 No.

Then you should stop looking for it.

❖

He who seeds a thought, harvests a destiny. 

Learning Zen is a phenomenon of gold and dung.

 Before you learn it, it's like gold; after you learn it, it's like dung.

The mad mind does not halt. If it halts, it is enlightenment.

The moment we desire to be something,

we are no longer free. 

There is no beginning and there is no end to time.

There is only your perception of time. 

❖

When you have reached understanding,

even one word is too much.

When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing.

A wild beast may wound your body,

but an evil friend will wound your mind.

Clouds gone, the mountain appears.

High understanding comes from not understanding at all.

❖

Life is like stepping into a boat that is

about to sail out to the sea and sink.

Reality is only an agreement – today is always today.

The beautiful bird gets caged.

Better to see the face than to hear the name.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear. 

❖

What was never lost, can never be found.

With eyes watching, one cannot see.

With eyes closed, one can see clearly. 

Relearn everything. Let every moment be a new beginning.

The beginner's mind is the Zen mind.

When you look forward into time,

it seems like forever.

When you look back, it appears

time has passed in a flash.

❖

Only when you can be extremely pliable

and soft can you be extremely hard and strong. 

Stop trying to observe time and you will be free of time.

When an ordinary man attains knowledge,

he is a sage; when a sage attains understanding,

he is an ordinary man. 

At any given moment, I open my eyes and exist.

Before that, during all eternity, what was there?

Nothing.

Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish your opinions. 

❖

If we are facing in the right direction,

all we have to do is keep on walking.

Life is the only thing worth living for.

Renew thyself completely each day;

do it again, and again, and forever again.

After enlightenment, laundry.

When you are deluded and full of doubt,

even a thousand books of scripture are not enough.

❖

The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist. 

They turn to each other and say 'We did it ourselves.' 

When one who is lost knows that it is time to turn back,

one is not far from having found the Way.

Everything will come, exactly as it does.

If you are not afraid of dying,

there is nothing you cannot achieve.

When nothing is done, nothing is left undone. 

❖

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

After enlightenment, chop wood carry water. 

Man stands in his own shadow and wonders why it's dark. 

You may have a million desires to be in other places,

doing other things, but you are not there, you are here. 

❖❖❖

When the mind is nowhere it is everywhere.

 

When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.

 

Be a master of the mind, not mastered by the mind.

 

Experience this moment to its fullest.

 

If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.

❖

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. 

Ride your horse along the edge of a sword;
hide yourself in the middle of flames.

 

He who controls others may be powerful,
but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.

 

If you want a certain thing, first be a certain person.
Then obtaining that certain thing will no longer be a concern.

 

When you seek it, you cannot find it.

❖

Be content with what you have.
Rejoice in the way things are.

 

Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill.

 

If you understand, things are just as they are.
If you do not understand, things are just as they are. 

No clinging, no seeking.

See everything as illusion.

❖

The bird of paradise lands only on the hand that does not grasp. 

An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox." 

From the pine tree, learn of the pine tree.
From the bamboo, learn of the bamboo.

 

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

 

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top. 

❖

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. 

The tighter you squeeze, the less you have.

 

The foolish reject what they see.
The wise reject what they think.

 

To set up what you like against what you dislike,
this is the disease of the mind. 

When the pools of perception are clear,
everything appears 'as is.'

❖

Where you are right now is where you are.

 

The birds always find their way to their nests.
The river always finds its way to the ocean.

 

The secret of health is not to mourn the past
or worry about the future,
but to live in the present moment wisely. 

To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master,
walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.

 

A donkey carrying a pile of holy books is still a donkey. 

❖

He who conquers others is strong.
He who conquers himself is mighty. 

Nothing is exactly as it seems nor is it otherwise.

 

Since it is all too clear, it takes time to grasp it.

 

The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. 

The wild geese do not intend to cast their reflections.

The water has no mind to receive their images.

❖

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

 

When the shoe fits, the foot is forgotten.

 

The reverse side also has a reverse side.

 

To be calm is the highest achievement of the self. 

Weeds only grow when we dislike them.

❖

You should sit and meditate for 20 minutes, unless you're too busy,
then you should sit and meditate for an hour.

 

By plucking the petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.

 

Inner surrender leads to the highest truth. 

Nothing weaker than water. Nothing stronger than rock.
Still, a slow flow of water can cut through mountains.

 

Sit, walk, or run, but don't wobble. 

❖

The wise adapt themselves to circumstances,
as water molds itself to the pitcher. 

The judgement of time is always done in the past tense.

 

Water which is too pure, has no fish.

 

The ordinary mind is the way. 

Today is the eighth day of the month,
tomorrow is the thirteenth.

❖❖❖

Composure is the ruler of instability.  

If you boast, you will have no merit.
If you promote yourself, you will have no success. 

Countless words count less than the silent
balance between yin and yang.  

The sage shuns excess, shuns grandiosity, shuns arrogance.

The sage accomplishes without abiding in her accomplishments...
because she does not abide in them, they never leave her. 

❖

The sage is sharp but not cutting, pointed but not piercing,
straight but not unrestrained, brilliant but not blinding. 

Do only what needs to be done without using violence. 

Although all forms are dynamic, and we all grow and transform,
each of us is compelled to return to our root. Our root is quietude.  

Life and death are one thread,
the same line viewed from different sides.  

When you attain wholeness, everything will flock to you.

❖

Let the Tao be present in the universe and the universe will sing.  

Embracing Tao, you become embraced.

Supple, breathing gently, you become reborn.

Clearing your vision, you become clear. 

Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally
forward in whatever way they like.  

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never truly be fulfilled.  

Every step is on the path. 

❖

All streams flow to the sea because it is lower
than they are. Humility gives it its power.  

Allow the heart to empty itself of all turmoil!  
Retrieve the utter tranquility of the mind.

If you try to change it, you will ruin it.
Try to hold it, and you will lose it.

Just remain in the center; watching.
And then forget that you are there.

It is the child that sees the primordial secret of Nature
and it is the child of ourselves we return to.

❖

It is not wise to rush about. If too much energy is used,
exhaustion follows. This is not the way of Tao.  

There is a time to live and a time to die
but never to reject the moment. 

If you want to awaken all of humanity,
then awaken all of yourself.  

Heaven and earth are impartial.
They allow all things to die. 

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.
Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. 

❖

In the end the treasure of life is missed by those
who hold on, and gained by those who let go. 

From wonder into wonder, existence opens.  

Great acts are made up of small deeds.  

Truly the greatest gift you have to give
is that of your own self-transformation.  

After a heavy snowfall the more rigid branches
of the pine break under the weight of the snow.

❖

A clever mind is not a heart.  

As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.  

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. 

Because the sage doesn't know who he is,

people recognize themselves in him.

Because he has no goal in mind,
everything he does succeeds. 

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.

❖

Be gentle and you can be bold;
be frugal and you can be liberal;
avoid putting yourself before others
and you can become a leader among men.  

For all things difficult to acquire, the intelligent man works with perseverance. 

Do not mistake understanding for realization,
and do not mistake realization for liberation.  

When you stand with your two feet on the ground,
you will always keep your balance. 

When you are lacking in faith,
others will be unfaithful to you.

❖

If a person seems wicked, do not cast him away.
Awaken him with your words, elevate him
with your deeds, repay his injury with your kindness. 

When the Tao is present in the universe, the horses haul manure.
When the Tao is absent, war horses are bred outside the city.

In harmony with the Tao, the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid and full, all creatures flourish together, content with the way they are. 

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.  

In the confrontation between the stream and the rock,
the stream always wins; not through strength, but through perseverance. 

❖

What is in the end to be thrown down,
begins by being first set on high. 

It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act also.  

We make a vessel from a lump of clay; It is the space
inside the vessel that makes it useful.

Just remember, when you should grab something,
grab it; when you should let go, let go.  

There is more to knowing than just being correct.

❖

Knowing is delusion; not knowing is confusion. The true Way is as vast and boundless as outer space.  

The Tao has no expectations. It does not speak or
make demands. It does not blame or take sides.

Move and the way will open. 

The mind of a perfect man is like a mirror.
It grasps nothing. It expects nothing.
It reflects but does not hold.

Nature is not anthropomorphic.

❖

The master observes the world but trusts his inner vision.
He allows things to come and go.
He prefers what is within to what is without.  

No matter how much you try to hold on
to something, it will all be gone.  

The journey is the reward. 

No one can see their reflection in running water.
It is only in still water that we can see.

Tao is the way and the way is Tao. 

❖

Ordinary mind is the Way. If you seek it you cannot find it.  
The Way is not a matter of knowing or not knowing. 

Tao: the wellspring to peace and happiness.  

Other people are excited, as though they were a parade.  
I alone don't care, I alone am expressionless
like an infant before it can smile. 

Problems cannot be resolved all at once.
Slowly untie the knots. Divide to conquer.

A strong wind does not blow all morning.  

A cloudburst does not last all day.

How much less so the efforts of man?

❖

When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you.  

If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.  

A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion,
does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.  

Accomplish but do not boast, accomplish without show,
accomplish without arrogance,
accomplish without grabbing, accomplish without forcing. 

While the tangible has advantages,
It is the intangible that makes it useful.

❖

All difficult things have their origin in that which is easy,
and great things in that which is small. 

❖❖❖ May all beings have happy minds. 

No one saves us but ourselves.  No one can and no one may.
We ourselves must walk the path.  

If you propose to speak, always ask yourself:
Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind?

Be mindful of intention. Intention is the seed
that creates our future.

The no-mind
no-thinks
no-thoughts
about no-things.

❖

There is no fire like greed,
no sickness like hunger of heart,
and no joy like the joy of freedom. 

Overcome anger by love, ill-will by good will;
the greedy with liberality, the liar with truth. 

Do not overrate what you have received nor envy others.
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind. 

To every man is given a key to the gates of heaven.
The same key opens the gates of hell. 

When in doubt, meditate. 

❖

When you let go, you create space
for better things to enter your life. 

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. 

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,
in the expert’s mind there are few. 

Your work is to discover your world and
then with all your heart give yourself to it. 

Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life.

❖

Beware of the anger of the mouth.
Master your words. Let them serve truth. 

Change is never painful, only your
resistance to change is painful. 

You are a seeker. Delight in the mastery
of your hands and feet, of your words and thoughts. 

Remembering a wrong is like
carrying a burden on the mind.

Be the witness of your thoughts.
You are what observes, not what you observe. 

❖

First intention, then enlightenment. 

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal
with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned. 

However many holy words you read,
however many you speak, what good
will they do you if you do not act on upon them?  

Be a peacemaker in everyday life.
Display peace in everything you do.
Be peace. Live in peace. 

Three things cannot be long hidden:
the sun, the moon, and the truth.

❖

Doubt is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills. 

Live happily in the present moment. It is the only moment we have.  

No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. 

One moment can change a day.
One day can change a life.
One life can change the world. 

Don't keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions. 

❖

You will not be punished for your anger;
you will be punished by your anger.

Let go of anger. Let go of pride. When you are bound
by nothing you go beyond sorrow.

The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving
for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves. 

There are only two mistakes one can make on the road to truth;
not going all the way and not starting.

There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.

❖

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly,
our whole life would change. 

Be sure that what you want is right for you to have. 

Space can contain everything, but space does not entertain
the thought that it can contain everything.

What's done to the children is done to society.  

When the student is ready, the master appears.

❖

With gentleness overcome anger.
With generosity overcome meanness.
With truth overcome deceit. 

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it from without. 

Do not speak -- unless it improves on silence. 

Train your mind to see something good in everything. 

Better than a thousand hollow words,
is one word that brings peace. 

❖

Change how you see and see how you change. 

Abandon yesterday, tomorrow and today.
Cross over to the farthest shore beyond life and death.

Thousand of candles can be lit from a single candle. 
Happiness never ceases by being shared. 

It is better to conquer yourself, than to win a thousand battles. T
hen victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you. 

For in craving pleasure or in nursing pain, there is only sorrow.

❖

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison
and expecting the other person to die. 

Compassion is our deepest nature.
It arises from out interconnection with all things. 

You only lose what you cling to. 

Right now, it's like this. 

❖❖❖