Dogen Zenji

To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be awakened by all things.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

Zazen is an activity that is an extension of the universe. Zazen is not the life of an individual, it’s the universe that’s breathing.

The valley stream’s rushing sound is the eloquent tongue of Buddha. The mountain’s vibrant colours are nothing but the Buddha’s form.

If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world.

Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock and roll or Christianity.

The whole secret of existence is to have no fear.

In order to fulfill yourself, you have to forget yourself. In order to find yourself, you have to lose yourself.

Great morning!! Dear God, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for EVERYTHING! Especially my healthy baby girl!

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice. The Bible tells us, ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.

The fact that more people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than any other single reason. That, that my friends, that is true perversion!

All religions are founded on the fear of the many and the cleverness of the few.

To know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him.

If you are a Christian, you are in danger. If you decided to abandon your faith and become an atheist, you also are to be liquidated according to their concept. You are in danger if you decide to become a Muslim. It is not going to save you anyway because they believe traditional Islam is hostile to their goals.

I lost my faith in God when I lost my daughter to Cancer, the beast. I begged, I cried, I offered my life for hers, and day by day, I watched that beautiful little Angel slip off. So, excuse me for not taking my seat next to you on Sunday in Church, I feel too cheated to worship.

Learning Zen is a phenomenon of gold & dung. Before you learn it, it’s like gold; after you learn it, it’s like dung.

I love learning about different religions, and discovering the different ways to worship, and to love the greatness and the higher being that surrounds us all. I definitely believe in a bigger presence, and I really respect all religions; at their core they all teach the same message – community and kindness and looking out for each other.

A cult is a religion with no political power.

To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.

The Zen expression Kill the Buddha!” means to kill any concept of the Buddha as something apart from oneself.