No teaching could be more direct than just to sit down.

When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon everything.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen.

Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.

Even if the sun were to rise from the west, the Bodhisattva has only one way.

In Japan we have the phrase, "Shoshin," which means "beginner's mind." Our "original mind" includes everything within itself. It is always rich and sufficient within itself. This does not mean a closed mind, but actually an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything. It is open to everything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

The world is its own magic.