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.

Just to be alive is enough.

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 live is enough.

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

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

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

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

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

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

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 only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

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

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.

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

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouraged by this, we should continue it. This is the secret of practice.

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

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.

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

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

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

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 real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

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

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

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

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.

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

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

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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.

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

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.

The world is its own magic.

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

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

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 zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

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

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

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

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

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

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.

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

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