• It is wrong to think that belief in freedom always leads to victory; we must always be prepared for it to lead to defeat. If we choose freedom, then we must be prepared to perish along with it.

Zui-Gan called out to himself every day, 'Master.' Then he answered himself, 'Yes, sir.'
And then he added, 'Become sober.' Again he answered, 'Yes, sir.'
After that he continued, 'do not be deceived by others.' 'Yes, sir; yes, sir,' he replied.

Zoroastrianism lived on in more or less altered form among Gnostics and Neo-Platonists—Mithraicism and Manicheism were offspring of Zoroastrian religion. Even the Mohammedans, whose persecution cause the way of the Zoroastrian creed, accepted some of its features... Again and again, the dualism of old brought forth the fruit of a vanished civilization, comparable to the ancient grain found in the tombs of the Pharaohs: planted in the earth they arise from the sleep of ages, and yield their long-delayed harvest

Zorba taught me to love life and have no fear of death... he had just what a quill-driver needs for deliverance: the primordial glance which seizes its nourishment arrow-like from on high, the creative artlessness, renews each morning which enabled him to see all things constantly as though for the first time.

Zeus and Hera were arguing about who got more pleasure from sex: men or women. To settle the argument, they called for Tiresias, who had lived as both. Tiresias took the side of Zeus, saying that women’s pleasure was greater, and Hera, in her fury, turned him blind.

Zen practice and sitting can be the biggest escape there is if you stop paying attention... Our true self is always blocked by our glittering images.

Zen is the complete realization of mind,
The complete cutting off of delusion,
The power of wise vision penetrating directly to the unborn.

Zen is rapidly becoming a rather smutty, cultish word...Pure Zen, need I add—will be here even after snobs like me have departed.

Zen is for poets, Tibetan Buddhism is for artists, and Vipassana is for psychologists.

Zen has no gates. The purpose of Buddha's words is to enlighten others. Therefore Zen should be gateless... When one passes through this gateless gate, they walk freely between heaven and earth.