What the devil is the point of surviving, going on living, when it's a drag? But you see, that's what people do.

If we cling to belief in God, we cannot likewise have faith, since faith is not clinging but letting go.

To be alive spiritually man must have union with God and must be conscious of it. Apart from this union his religious life will be an empty drudgery, a mere imitation of true spirituality.

For a decision-the freest of my actions just happens like hiccups inside me or like a bird singing outside me.

As muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone, it could be argued that those who sit quietly and do nothing are making one of the best possible contributions to a world in turmoil.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

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