To be different is to have value. In this sense all things have equal, absolute value. Each thing has absolute value and thus is equal to everything else.

There is no formula for generating the authentic warmth of love...Everyone has love, but it can only come out when he is convinced of the impossibility and frustration of trying to love himself. This conviction will not come through condemnations, through hating oneself, through calling self-love bad names in the universe. It comes only in the awareness that one has no self to love.

Nothing outside yourself can cause any trouble. You yourself make the waves in your mind. If you leave your mind as it is, it will become calm. This mind is called big mind.

True communication depends upon our being straightforward with one another... But the best way to communicate may be just to sit without saying anything.

To cook is not just to prepare food for someone or to cook for yourself; it is to express your sincerity. So when you cook you should express yourself in your activity in the kitchen. You should allow yourself plenty of time.

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 kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.