“You cannot remain yourself.”
Source: Touching Peace: Practicing the Art of Mindful Living
“What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.”
Source: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice
“Words are treacherous.”
Source: Zen Light
“Love feels good. It’s perfectly balanced, and it never involves sacrifice. If it doesn’t feel good, if it's obsessive/needy, or if demands some kind of sacrifice from you, it’s not love.”
“But there are times — my favorite climbs — when it doesn’t feel as if I’m climbing. Instead, the cliff or tree or wall seems to be lifting me, higher and higher.”
Source: Bright Eyes: A Kunoichi Tale
“People have lost faith in God and the Kingdom of God because they have put God in the wrong place. If they put God in the right place, in their own heart, the spiritual crisis will come to an end. This is a spiritual and a cultural matter. In the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions there are people who have discovered that God does not belong to the future or to another place.”
Source: Enjoying the Ultimate: Commentary on the Nirvana Chapter of the Chinese Dharmapada
“Xin Ming, Origin is the present moment.”
Source: Song of Mind: Wisdom from the Zen Classic Xin Ming
“Blankness is similar to being asleep or unconscious. If that is all it takes to experience enlightenment, my job would be much easier. I would just walk behind each one of you and knock you unconscious with a big stick.”
Source: Song of Mind: Wisdom from the Zen Classic Xin Ming
“There is more wisdom in a crumbling leaf than in a thousand words about impermanence.”
“— Non ha importanza se si fanno errori. Però fate le cose con cura. Ogni piccolo movimento, fatelo con cura, mettendoci l'anima.
«L'anima» è una cosa astratta, che non si può vedere con gli occhi. La guardavo dubbiosa: non si può mica dire: «Ecco, l'ho messa», come se si mettesse del riso in una ciotola.”
Source: Ogni giorno è un buon giorno: Quindici gioie che il tè mi ha insegnato