D.T. Suzuki

Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom. By making us drink right from the fountain of life it liberates us from all the yokes under which we finite beings are usually suffering in this world.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded. Therefore, anything that has the semblance of an external authority is rejected by Zen. Absolute faith is placed in a man's own inner being. For whatever authority there is in Zen, all comes from within.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

The rocks are where they are- and this is their will. The rivers flow- and this is their will. The birds fly- this is their will. Human beings talk- this is their will. The seasons change, heaven sends down rain or snow, the earth occasionally shakes, the waves roll, the stars shine- each of them follows its own will. To be is to will and so is to become.

Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.

We teach ourselves; Zen merely points the way.

I am an artist at living - my work of art is my life.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

Zen professes itself to be the spirit of Buddhism, but in fact it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies.

Great works are done when one is not calculating and thinking.

Fundamentally the marksman aims at himself.

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

The waters are in motion, but the moon retains its serenity.

The intuitive recognition of the instant, thus reality is the highest act of wisdom.

Implicity, there should be something mysterious in every day.

The truth of Zen, just a little bit of it, is what turns one's humdrum life, a life of monotonous, uninspiring commonplaceness, into one of art, full of genuine inner creativity.

Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.