The person who can freely acknowledge that life is full of difficulties can be free, because they are acknowledging the nature of life - that it can't be much else.

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.

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

If your practice is good, you may become proud of it. What you do is good, but something more is added to it. Pride is extra. Right effort is to get rid of something extra.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it....In this way our life should be understood. Then there is no problem.

Even though you try to put people under control, it is impossible. You cannot do it. The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense. To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him. So it is with people: first let them do what they want, and watch them. This is the best policy. To ignore them is not good. That is the worst policy. The second worst is trying to control them. The best one is to watch them, just to watch them, without trying to control them.

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

Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make our effort, moment after moment, is our way.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

We do not exist for the sake of something else. We exist for the sake of ourselves.

So it is not a matter of whether it is possible to attain Buddhahood, or if it is possible to make a tile a jewel. But just to work, just to live in this world with this understanding is the most important point, and that is our practice. That is true zazen.

Big mind is something to express, not something to figure out. Big mind is something you have, not something to seek for.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

To give your sheep or cow a large, spacious meadow is the way to control him.

Zen is everywhere.... But for you, Zen is right here.

When you live completely in each moment, without expecting anything, you have no idea of time.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

If you want to study Zen, you should forget all your previous ideas and just practice zazen and see what kind of experience you have in your practice. That is naturalness.

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

The secret of Soto Zen is just two words: not always so.... In Japanese, it's two words, three words in English. That is the secret of our practice.

Zazen practice and everyday activity are one thing. We call zazen everyday life, and everyday life zazen.

Only when you understand people, they may understand you. So even though you do not say anything, if you understand people there is some communication.

Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea.