Happiness is sorrow; sorrow is happiness. There is happiness in difficulty; difficulty in happiness. Even though the ways we feel are different, they are not really different, in essence they are the same. This is the true understanding transmitted from Buddha to us.

In the mind of the beginner, there are many possibilities. In the mind of the expert there are few.

The world is its own magic.

If your practice is good, you may become proud of it. What you do is good, but something more is added to it. Pride is extra. Right effort is to get rid of something extra.

When you do something, you should burn yourself up completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

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

To stop your mind does not mean to stop the activities of mind. It means your mind pervades your whole body.