Leslie Liszak

The goal of Zen is to awaken to life as it is, rather than stay in the comparative dream world of our ideas about it.

Miyazaki: I’m fascinated by wars, and I read a lot about them. People therefore often ask me, “Miyazaki-san, do you like war?” and I respond by asking if they think AIDS researchers like AIDS.

If you think Zen is something lofty and esoteric, the master will give you a shout or slap for an answer. If you think it is abstract, you’ll be told it’s three pounds of flax or the oak tree in the garden. If you think it is beyond words and abstractions, the master may quote the sutras or a poem by Han Shan. If you think Zen is nothing but our

These days, when I’m stuck in my own work, rather than banging my head against the same wall, I try to get a different perspective. That could be as simple as switching from writing on a computer to longhand, or from writing to drawing if it’s relevant, or even just going for a run — which is remarkably effective at giving me new ideas when I’m

Practice is not about overcoming human problems. It’s not about becoming serene and transcendent. It’s about embracing our lives as they really are, and understanding at every point how deep and profound and gorgeous everything is—even the suffering, even the difficulty. So we forgive ourselves for our limitations, and we forgive this world for its

Life is a prayer; it’s a dialogue.