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 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.

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

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

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?

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

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

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

The world is its own magic.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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.

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

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 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 real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

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

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

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

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.

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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