Eisai Quotes
Myoan Eisai was a Japanese Buddhist monk who is credited with introducing the Rinzai school of Zen and the cultivation of green tea to Japan. After two study journeys to Song China, he received the transmission of the Linji Chan lineage and returned to establish Zen monasteries in Kyoto and Kamakura. The quotes below are attributed to Eisai, organized by topic.
Browse Eisai by topic
Eisai on Death
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“Autumn has come; Storming now heaveth the deep sea with foam, Yet would I gratefully lie there, Willingly die there.”
Ingeborg's Lament". -
“A dead father's counsel, a wise son heedeth.”
Canto VIII.
Eisai on God
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“Hener was the hero-king, Heaven-born, dear to us, Showing his shield A shelter for peace.”
Canto XXI. St. 7.
Eisai on Justice
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“A sense of justice is a noble fancy.”
Canto VIII.
Eisai on Knowledge
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“In Phebus realm, in knowledge as in verse, All things are clear, the sun of Phoebus clear, Clear was his crystal, the Kastalian. What you cannot clearly say, you don’t know: To tongue of man his thought brings word: What’s said obscurely is what’s thought obscurely.”
Epilog vid Magisterpromotionen i Lund 1820". -
“Epilog vid Magisterpromotionen i Lund 1820".”
In Phebus realm, in knowledge as in verse, All things are clear, the sun of Phoebus clear, Clear was his crystal, the Kastalian. What you cannot clearly say, you don’t know: To tongue of man his thought brings word: What’s said obscurely is what’s thought obscurely. -
“A glimpse of Breidablick, whose walls are light As e'en the silver on the cliff it shone; Of dark blue steel its columns azure height And the big altar was one agate stone. It seemed as if the air upheld alone Its dome, unless supporting spirits bore it, Studded with stars Odin's spangled throne, A light inscrutable burned fiercely o'er it; In sky-blue mantles, Sat the gold-crowned gods before it.”
Canto XXIII, Stanza 13. -
“Canto XXIII, Stanza 13.”
A glimpse of Breidablick, whose walls are light As e'en the silver on the cliff it shone; Of dark blue steel its columns azure height And the big altar was one agate stone. It seemed as if the air upheld alone Its dome, unless supporting spirits bore it, Studded with stars Odin's spangled throne, A light inscrutable burned fiercely o'er it; In sky-blue mantles, Sat the gold-crowned gods before it.
Eisai on Love
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“A woman's honor rests on manly love.”
Canto VIII.
Eisai on Mind
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Zen is the seal of the Buddha-mind.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Tea cultivates the mind toward simplicity.”
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Attributed to Eisai:
“Meditation is the gateway to enlightenment.”
Eisai on Truth
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Attributed to Eisai:
“He who has a mind to seek the way will find the way at hand.”
Eisai on Virtue
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Attributed to Eisai:
“The true monk has no need of subtle doctrine; he has only to sit.”