Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The world is its own magic.

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

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.

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.

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

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.

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.

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

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

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

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.

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

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

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

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.

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

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

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

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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

The menu is not the meal.

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

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.

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

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.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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

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

To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.

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

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 silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

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

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

Just to be alive is enough.

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

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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.