Buddhism is all about finding your own way, not imitating the ways of others or even the ways of Buddha himself.

Zazen isn't about blissing out or going into an alpha brain-wave trance. It's about facing who and what you really are, in every single goddamn moment. And you aren't bliss, I'll tell you that right now. You're a mess. We all are.

Just know that your expectations are only thoughts in your head, and keep on doing what you do.

You know that for sure because Godzilla was killed by an ordinary missile. He spends most of that film dodging them but then the Army finally gets a bead on him and they shoot a missile at him and he blows up and dies, and that's not what Godzilla is. Godzilla is supposed to be a thing that you can't possibly kill, no matter how hard you try.

Everything you have, whether it's money or stuff, is an obligation. It is as much your duty to care for and nurture any object you own as it would be if that object were your child. All possessions come with responsibilities. More possessions equals greater responsibility.

How many Zen masters does it take to screw in a light bulb? The plum tree in the garden!

It may look like we're doing nothing when we sit zazen. But actually we are exposing ourselves to ourselves.