saying
On Zazen as the Foundation of All Practice
An Introduction to Zen Training
Text
Whether you practice calligraphy, the tea ceremony, archery, or the sword, zazen is the foundation. Without zazen, these arts become mere technique—skillful, perhaps, but without depth. With zazen, even the simplest act becomes a manifestation of awakened mind. You do not sit zazen in order to become good at calligraphy. You sit zazen in order to find the source from which all true action flows. Once you have found that source, everything you do—writing, pouring tea, drawing the bow—flows from it naturally, without contrivance.
Attribution
By Omori Sogen
From An Introduction to Zen Training
Sources
An Introduction to Zen Training: On Zazen as the Foundation of All Practice