The practice of meditation is like learning to play an instrument - it takes patience, regular practice, and a gentle touch.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

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

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

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?

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

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

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.

The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

Those who grasp at things as truly existent are like someone trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

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

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.