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" Oh to be saved from myself dear Lord. Oh to be lost in Thee.
Oh that it would be no more I, But Christ that lives in me."

- Mrs. Ada A. Whittington (1891)

Do not search for the truth;
Only cease to cherish opinions.
If there is even a trace
Of this and that,
Of right and wrong,
The mind will be lost
In confusion.
Although all dualities
Come from the One
Do not remain in the dualistic state.

- Seng-Tsan (d.606)

Zen practice is throwing away one's preconceived views along with the sacred texts, and then penetrating the layers covering the self.
All of the awakened ones have turned within and sought the self, and by doing this they went beyond doubt.
It is then that thinking comes to an end, and making distinctions ceases; wrong views and ideas disappear of themselves; and true action and true impulse appear.

Then one can know the truth.

~Daikaku (1203-1268)

Contemplate the mind;
This king of emptiness
Is subtle and abstruse.
Without shape or form,
It has great spiritual power.
It can eliminate all calamities
And accomplish all merits.
Though its essence is empty,
It is the measure of dharmas.

- Master Fu (497-569)

Meditation is not
A way to enlightenment,
Nor is it a method
Of achieving anything at all.
It is peace and blessedness itself.
It is the actualization of wisdom,
The ultimate truth
Of the oneness of all things.

- Dogen (1200-1253)

For penetrating to the depths
Of one’s own true self-nature,
And attaining a vitality
Valid on all occasions,
Nothing can surpass
Meditation in the midst of activity.

- Hakuin (1686-1769)

When the moon
Of your mind becomes
Clouded over with confusion,
You are searching
Around for the light outside.

- Hozoin Gakuzengo Inye

A person of the Way fundamentally
Does not dwell anywhere.
The consistent action of
People of the Way is
Like the flowing clouds
With no grasping mind;
Like the full moon reflecting universally,
Not confined anywhere.
Thus have we heard:
The mind that
Embraces the ten directions
Does not stop anywhere.

- Hung–Chih (1091-1157)

Perceive freshly as you enter
The world of continual emergence.
That rock-bottomed essence of your mind,
Is always still, but ever-emerging;
Always there, as if waiting to be noticed.

- Ji Aoi Isshi

Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk.

~ Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

A monkey man is full of words
And words are full of nothing.
I wish I had a suitable word
That also rhymed with nothing.

~ kevin eleven

bring it back
i still have desires

True study of the Way
Does not rely on
Knowledge and genius
Or cleverness and brilliance.
It is an easy thing,
Just cultivate a
Keen and sincere desire
To seek the Way.

- Dogen (1200-1253)

The seed of mystery lies in muddy water.
How can I perceive this mystery?
Water becomes clear through stillness.
How can I become still?
By flowing with the stream.

- Lao-tze

The truth of Zen,
Just a little of it,
Is what turns one’s
Life of monotonous,
Commonplace actions,
Into one of art,
Full of genuine inner creativity.

- D.T. Suzuki