“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 true purpose is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. This is to put everything under control in its widest sense. Zen practice is to open up our small mind. So concentrating is just an aid to help you realize “big mind,” or the mind that is everything.”
“Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.”
“Without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, to express yourself as you are is the most important thing.”
“When you are practicing zazen, do not try to stop your thinking. Let it stop by itself. If something comes into your mind, let it come in, and let it go out. It will not stay long. When you try to stop your thinking, it means you are bothered by it. Do not be bothered by anything.”
“A mind full of preconceived ideas, subjective intentions, or habits is not open to things as they are. That is why we practice zazen: to clear our mind of what is related to something else.”
“When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.”
“Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way. This is the mystery. When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything. The best way is to understand yourself, and then you will understand everything.”
“In short, when you do everything without thinking about whether it is good or bad, and when you do something with your whole mind and body, then that is our way.”
“To study Buddhism is to study ourselves. To study ourselves is to forget ourselves.”