Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.

Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

Don't try to push away the darkness. Just light a lamp. The darkness will disappear by itself.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life contains suffering. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is craving.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.