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

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

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

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.

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

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

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

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

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

Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea.

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 mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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.

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.

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

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

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

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

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

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

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

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

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

Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just to be alive is enough.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

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

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.