There Are Myriads Of Forms And Hundreds

Those Who Practice Know Whether Realization Is Attained Or Not, Just As Those Who Drink Water Know Whether It Is Hot Or Cold

To Study The Buddha Way Is To Study The Self. To Study The Self Is To Forget The Self. To Forget The Self Is To Be Actualized By Myriad Things. When Actualized By Myriad Things, Your Body And Mind As Well As The Bodies And Minds Of Others Drop Away. No Trace Of Realization Remains, And This No Trace Continues Endlessly.

A Fish Swims In The Ocean, And No Matter How Far It Swims There Is No End To The Water. A Bird Flies In The Sky, And No Matter How Far It Flies There Is No End To The Air. However The Fish And The Bird Have Never Left Their Elements. Thus Each Of Them Totally Covers Its Full Range, And Each Of Them Totally Experiences Its Realm... Know That Water Is Life And Air Is Life. The Bird Is Life And The Fish Is Life. Life Must Be The Bird And Life Must Be The Fish... Practice, Enlightenment And People Are Like This.

Yet You Must Not Cling To The Words Of The Old Sages Either; They, Too, May Not Be Right. Even If You Believe Them, You Should Be Alert So That, In The Event That Something Superior Comes Along, You May Follow That.

Set Aside All Involvements And Let The Myriad Things Rest. Zazen Is Not Thinking Of Good, Not Thinking Of Bad. It Is Not Conscious Endeavour. It Is Not Introspection. Do Not Desire To Become A Buddha; Let Sitting Or Lying Down Drop Away. Be Moderate In Eating And Drinking. Be Mindful Of The Passing Of Time, And Engage Yourself In Zazen As Though You Are Saving Your Head From Fire.