There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

The real purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

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

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

Peace is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

This very body is the Buddha. And this very earth the lotus paradise.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

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

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

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

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

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.