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

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

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 has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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.

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

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.

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

The obstacle is the path.

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

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.

Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

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

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

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

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 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

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

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.

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

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

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

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

Wherever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything. That is more true than I can say, and more true than you can hear.

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