The world is its own magic.

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

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

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

The obstacle is the path.

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

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

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

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

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.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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