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

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

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

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.

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

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?

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

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

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

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

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.

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

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

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.

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

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.