When asked, “Does one have to give up one’s own religion to follow Zen”, Master Taisen Deshimaru said:
“You must choose for yourself. You must look for the essence here and now, decide what is important for yourself. What is the solution to your problems? Too often religions are no more than decoration. You’re supposed to learn all the texts, the order of all the ceremonies; but all that is unimportant. Religions and philosophies have relied too much on the imagination, and that is why they are growing weak. You must cut away the decoration and look for what is important. Find the true essence of all religions.”