The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

The real purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, just as ice and water are of the same substance.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

To what shall I compare this life? It is like a boat that left at dawn, leaving no trace.

What Zen wants us to do is to acquire an entirely new point of view whereby to look into the mysteries of life and the secrets of nature.

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

Just to be alive is enough.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

When you listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.

The world is its own magic.

Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

In Zen there must be satori; there must be a general mental upheaval which destroys the old accumulations of intellection and lays down the foundation for a new life.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

When the mind is ready to understand, the truth will come to meet it.

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

The awareness that you are here, right now, is the ultimate fact.

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

Everybody has the light of Buddha within, but they don't look for it.