“The coming and going of birth and death is a painting. Unsurpassed enlightenment is a painting. The entire phenomenal universe and the empty sky are nothing but a painting.”

If he cannot stop the mind that seeks after fame and profit, he will spend his life without finding peace.

Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them, you should be alert so that, in the event that something superior comes along, you may follow that.

Although its light is wide and great, the Moon is reflected in a puddle one inch wide. The whole Moon and the entire sky is reflected in one dew drop on the grass.

That the self advances and confirms the ten thousand things is called delusion; that the ten thousand things advance and confirm the self is called enlightenment.

To escape from the world means that one’s mind is not concerned with the opinions of the world.

When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original selves.

Do not miss the opportunity of offering even a single drop into the ocean of merit or a grain atop the mountain of the roots of beneficial activity.

Be moderate in eating and drinking. Mindful of the passing of time, engage yourself in zazen as though saving your head from fire.

If you do not get it from yourself, where will you go for it?

Students, when you want to say something, think about it three times before you say it. Speak only if your words will benefit yourselves and others. Do not speak if it brings no benefit.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

Learn the backward step that turns your light inward to illuminate your self. Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will be manifest.

When you paint Spring, do not paint willows, plums, peaches, or apricots – just paint Spring.

Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things.

I failed so many times and got back up. I got through the toughest times with my family, but I’m still standing.

If you keep running from me, you’re never going to figure out what’s really going on.

I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you must write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter won’t let you go. It’s not enough to write simply because you think it would be neat to be published. You have to be compelled to write. If you’re not, nothing else that you do matters.

There was no sign of jules. Bad news, said elliot. The man is sick. Youre going to have to settle for me. Sick? Vee demanded. How sick? What kind of excuse is sick? Sick as in its coming out both ends. Vee scrunched her nose. Too much information.

If I go into a studio and find my truth of the moment, there are a number of people in the world who can relate to what I’m saying and are going to buy into what I’m doing. Not because it’s the new thing of the moment, but because it’s genuine emotion. Its how I feel. This is how I articulate the world.

Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all.

I’m going to come out and tell it like it is.

If I don’t write to empty my mind, I go mad.