Our practice should be based on the ideal of selflessness. Selflessness is very difficult to understand. If you try to be selfless, that is already a selfish idea. Selflessness will be there when you do not try anything.

When my master and I were walking in the rain, he would say, 'Do not walk so fast, the rain is everywhere.'

If you were not born in this world, there would be no need to die. To be born in this world is to die, to disappear [laughing].

There should not be any particular teaching. Teaching is in each moment.

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. Zen practice is to open up our small mind.

A student, filled with emotion and crying, implored, "Why is there so much suffering?" Suzuki Roshi replied, "No reason.

If you try to observe the precepts, that is not true observation of precepts. When you observe the precepts without trying to observe the precepts, that is true observation of the precepts.