Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition

Which is more important: to attain enlightenment, or to attain enlightenment before you attain enlightenment; to make a million dollars, or to enjoy your life in your effort, little by little, even though it is impossible to make that million; to be successful, or to find some meaning in your effort to be successful?

In this way our life should be understood. Then there is no problem. Because we put emphasis on some particular point, we always have trouble. We should accept things just as they are. This is how we understand everything, and how we live in this world.

“In calmness there should be activity; in activity there should be calmness.”

So to find pleasure in suffering is the only way to accept the truth of transiency.

That everything changes is the basic truth for each existence.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence. We should find perfection in imperfection. For us, complete perfection is not different from imperfection.

the most important thing is this moment, not some day in the future. We have to make our effort in this moment. This is the most important thing for our practice.

“When you say something to someone, he may not accept it, but do not try to make him understand it intellectually. Do not argue with him; just listen to his objections until he himself finds something wrong with them.”

Cultivate your own spirit.” It means not to go seeking for something outside of yourself.