In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.
In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, “I have attained something.” All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something.
Zazen practice is the direct expression of our true nature. Strictly speaking, for a human being, there is no other practice than this practice; there is no other way of life than this way of life.
Many sensations come, many thoughts or images arise, but they are just waves of your own mind. Nothing comes from outside your mind.
Any effort we make is not good for our practice because it creates waves in our mind. It is impossible, however, to attain absolute calmness of our mind without any effort. We must make some effort, but we must forget ourselves in the effort we make. In this realm there is no subjectivity or objectivity. Our mind is just calm, without even any awareness. In this unawareness, every effort and every idea and thought will vanish.
Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine.
If your practice is good, you may become proud of it. What you do is good, but something is added to it. Pride is extra. Right effort is to get rid of something extra.
If you do something in the spirit of non-achievement, there is a good quality in it. So just to do something without any particular effort is enough.
When you become you, Zen becomes Zen. When you are you, you see things as they are, and you become one with your surroundings.
Without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, to express yourself as you are is the most important thing.
Big mind is something to express, not something to figure out. Big mind is something you have, not something to seek for.
Our life and death are the same thing. When we realize this fact, we have no fear of death anymore, nor actual difficulty in our life.
We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.
Moment after moment, everyone comes out from nothingness. This is the true joy of life.
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. This is a very important point. 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.
If you try to expel the delusion it will only persist more.