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

Meditation in the midst of activity is a thousand times superior to meditation in stillness.

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

The state of mind that exists when you sit in the right posture is, itself, enlightenment.

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

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

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

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

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

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

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

The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

When you are you, Zen is Zen. Big mind is just big mind.

What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

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.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

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

This very body is the Buddha. And this very earth the lotus paradise.

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

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

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfection.

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

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

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.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

To live – is that not enough? To love – is that not everything?

The eye with which I see Buddha is the same eye with which Buddha sees me.

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

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

When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharma intimately.

The world is its own magic.

When both body and mind are at peace, all things appear as they are: perfect, complete, lacking nothing.

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

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.

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

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

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, do not squander your life.

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

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

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.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.