People Who Truly Follow The Way Would

In The Assemblies Of The Enlightened Ones There Have Been Many Cases Of Mastering The Way Bringing Forth The Heart Of Plants And Trees; This Is What Awakening The Mind For Enlightenment Is Like. The Fifth Patriarch Of Zen Was Once A Pine-planting Wayfarer; Rinzai Worked On Planting Cedars And Pines On Mount Obaku. . . . Working With Plants, Trees, Fences And Walls, If They Practice Sincerely They Will Attain Enlightenment.

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.

Do Not Arouse Disdainful Mind When You Prepare A Broth Of Wild Grasses; Do Not Arouse Joyful Mind When You Prepare A Fine Cream Soup.

Every Man Possesses The Buddha-nature. Do Not Demean Yourselves.

Be Moderate In Eating And Drinking. Mindful Of The Passing Of Time, Engage Yourself In Zazen As Though Saving Your Head From Fire.