A lot of people have this live or die attitude with mediation. It has to be all or nothing. I don't think it should be. It's a study that you follow for the rest of your life.

We live in the dark ages. If an intelligent society can destroy itself in large numbers and places the largest amount of revenues in instruments of destruction, it is certainly not an evolved society or an intelligent society.

The way our world is set up, a higher economic priority is given to things that bespeak a greater refinement. It is just a determination that was made, to make money.

Everything is perception. A hallucination is a perception of a certain reality. It is a perception of a certain state of mind.

You're always looking for the ultimate. It's kind of like journeying to Ixtlan. You're never going to get there, but that is no reason not to try.

The imbalance I speak of in the world, which we see manifested in wars, violence, poverty and other depressed social conditions stems from a lack of knowledge.

By perfecting the practices of zazen and mindfulness, by learning patience and love and by realizing the essential emptiness of all phenomena, you will discover nirvana.