The way to see what looks good and understand the reasons it looks good, and to be at one with this goodness as the work proceeds, is to cultivate an inner quietness, a peace of mind so that goodness can shine through.
Robert M. PirsigRead
It is not good to talk about Zen, because Zen is nothingness... If you talk about it, you are always lying, and if you don't talk about it, no one knows it is there.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Zen is an experience of nothingness that cannot be adequately conveyed through words.
This quote by Robert M. Pirsig suggests that Zen, as a philosophical concept, transcends verbal explanation. To discuss Zen is to distort its essence, which is rooted in nothingness; yet, remaining silent about it means depriving others of awareness of its presence. The paradox reflects the struggle of conveying profound truths through limited language.
Themes
ZenNothingnessPhilosophyCommunicationExperience
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation retreat, I reminded participants of Pirsig's quote to emphasize the limits of verbal explanations.
More from Robert M. Pirsig
All quotes →When analytic thought, the knife, is applied to experience, something is always killed in the process.
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The Buddha resides as comfortably in the circuits of a digital computer or the gears of a cycle transmission as he does at the top of a mountain.
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It's better not to see than to see wrongly.
Robert M. PirsigRead
The truth knocks on the door and you say, go away, I'm looking for the truth, and it goes away. Puzzling.
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You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It's easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.
Robert M. PirsigRead
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