We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

In Hindu philosophy the whole creation is regarded as the Vishnu Lila, the play of Vishnu. Lila means dance or play. Also in Hindu philosophy, they call the world illusion; and in Latin the root of the word illusion is ludere, to play.

Everything is perpetually becoming new.

And so when the essential idea of love is lost there comes talk of fidelity. Actually, the only possible basis for two beings, male and female, to relate to each other is to grant each other total freedom.

The difficulty for most of us in the modern world is that the old-fashioned idea of God has become incredible or implausible.

For there is never anything but the present, and if one cannot live there, one cannot live anywhere.

That's a waste of time. If you really understand Zen... you can use any book. You could use the Bible. You could use Alice in Wonderland. You could use the dictionary, because... the sound of the rain needs no translation.