You are perfect as you are and there is always room for improvement.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything.

If I tell you something, you will stick to it and limit your own capacity to find out for yourself.

To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point; we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.

When something dies is the greatest teaching.

In the beginner's mind there is no thought, "I have attained something." All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner's mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless. Dogen-zenji, the founder of our school, always emphasized how important it is to resume our boundless original mind. Then we are always true to ourselves, in sympathy with all beings, and can actually practice.

The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.