The source of all light is in the eye.

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

You must not be afraid of playing wrong notes. Just forget it, play it wrong! But play!

When death comes, it's just like winter. We don't say, "There ought not to be winter." That the winter season, when the leaves fall and the snow comes, is some kind of defeat, something which we should hold out against. No. Winter is part of the natural course of events. No winter, no summer. No cold, no heat.

You don't look out there for God, something in the sky, you look in you.

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.

To resist change, to try to cling to life, is therefore like holding your breath: if you persist you kill yourself.