Shunryu Suzuki Enlightenment Quotations

An enlightened person does not ignore things and does not stick to things, not even to the truth.

It is not after we understand the truth that we attain enlightenment. To realize the truth is to live - to exist here and now.

Enlightenment is not a complete remedy.

Don't move. Just die over and over. Don't anticipate. Nothing can save you now because you have only this moment. Not even enlightenment will help you now because there are no other moments. With no future, be true to yourself and express yourself fully. Don't move.

Although we have no actual written communications from the world of emptiness, we have some hints or suggestions about what is going on in that world, and that is, you might say, enlightenment. When you see plum blossoms or hear the sound of a small stone hitting bamboo, that is a letter from the world of emptiness.

You can't make a date with enlightenment.