The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

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.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is often said. When you are inspired by some spiritual teacher, you can have a very strong connection with that person, and thereby the blessings can enter.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

Meditation is not about trying to change your experience; it's about changing your relationship to your experience.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick. Every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. Instead, be like a lion who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower.

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.