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

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.

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

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

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

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

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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

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

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

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.

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

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

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

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

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

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

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.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

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

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

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

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

To live is enough.

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.

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

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

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

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The menu is not the meal.

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

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.