Essential Nature Quotes

“It is inevitable that all human beings will perfectly realize their essential nature. Each of us, as perfect and infinite existence, is of necessity on the path to buddhahood, even in the phenomenal world. This is what we call “the process of becoming a buddha.”
― Kōun Yamada, Zen: The Authentic Gate

“Suppose we have a bucket filled with dirty water and pour a glass of clean water into it. Although we will see no difference when we look at it, the addition of that glass of water has made the water in the bucket that much cleaner. Likewise, when we sit for even a single period of zazen our personality becomes purified in proportion to the length of that sitting. Although we may not be the least aware of it, we can be certain we have moved a step closer to the realization of our essential nature.”
― Kōun Yamada, Zen: The Authentic Gate