Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

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 only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

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

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

The practice of mindfulness is simply to bring awareness to what we are doing, what we are saying, and what we are thinking.

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

All experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

Just to be alive is enough.

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.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.

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

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.