20 Quotes by John Daido Loori

If I was asked to get rid of the Zen aesthetic and just keep one quality necessary to create art, I would say it’s trust. When you learn to trust yourself implicitly, you no longer need to prove something through your art. You simply allow it to come out, to be as it is. This is when creating art becomes effortless. It happens just as you grow your hair. It grows.

The creative process, like a spiritual journey, is intuitive, non-linear, and experiential. It points us toward our essential nature, which is a reflection of the boundless creativity of the universe.

If you miss the moment, you miss your life.

Creativity is our birthright. It is an integral part of being human, as basic as walking, talking and thinking.

What transpires for the least significant member transpires at once for the whole.

The future doesn’t exist. It hasn’t happened yet. The past doesn’t exist. It has already happened.

To be simple means to make a choice about what’s important, and let go of all the rest. When we are able to do this, our vision expands, our heads clear, and we can better see the details of our lives in all their incredible wonder and beauty.

The causes of evil karma are greed, anger, and ignorance – the three poisons. We create karma through action, by what we do with our body, words, and thoughts. In atoning we take full and unequivocal responsibility for it all. When we do that, we empower ourself. It becomes our evil karma, not someone else’s. We acknowledge ourself as an active agent, not a passive victim. We begin to recognize that our life is not just something that happens to us.

To be still means to empty yourself from the incessant flow of thoughts and create a state of consciousness that is open and receptive.