There will always be war, but we must always work to oppose it.

The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.

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

I discovered that it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color--something which exists before all forms and colors appear... No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea.

We ourselves cannot put any magic spells on this world. The world is its own magic.

In order not to leave any traces, when you do something, you should do it with your whole body and mind; you should be concentrated on what you do. You should do it completely, like a good bonfire. You should not be a smoky fire. You should burn yourself completely. If you do not burn yourself completely, a trace of yourself will be left in what you do. You should not have any remains after you do something. But this does not mean to forget all about it.

If you think you will get something from practicing zazen, already you are involved in impure practice.