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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

To live is enough.

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

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

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.

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

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

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

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 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.

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The obstacle is the path.

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.

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

The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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.

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.