Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

don’t close any door. Open all the doors. Don’t just commit yourself to one idea of happiness.

In every one of us there is also a warrior. The warrior brings a determination to go ahead. You refuse to give up.

You fight in order to renew your meditation practice. You fight in order not to allow things to become boring. And so, the meditator goes together with the warrior.

The action of that bodhisattva is to remove the complex of worthlessness and low self-esteem.

You are one of the wonders of life, even if you believe otherwise—even if you despise yourself or think of yourself as nothing but suffering.

Mindfulness, concentration, and insight can be generated in every moment of your daily life, and it’s these energies that make you spiritual.

If in the twenty-four hours of your day you have five minutes of peace, ease, and freedom, that’s not too bad.

According to Master Linji, if, while walking or eating or going about your day, you can create even just one flash of mindfulness, that’s good enough.

When you’re caught in the idea that this body is you, or this mind is you, you underestimate your value. But, when you can free yourself from the notion of self and see your body and mind as a stream of being of all your ancestors, you’ll begin to treat your body and mind with more respect.