Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as an enlightened person. There is only enlightened activity.

If enlightenment comes first, before thinking, before practice, your thinking and your practice will not be self-centered. By enlightenment I mean believing in nothing, believing in something which has no form or no color, which is ready to take form or color. This enlightenment is the immutable truth. It is on this orginal truth that our activity, our thinking, and our practice should be based.

Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea.

A garden is never finished.

You will always exist in the universe in one form or another.

Life without zazen is like winding your clock without setting it. It runs perfectly well, but it dosen't tell time.

Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make our effort, moment after moment, is our way.