The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.

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

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

The eye with which I see Buddha is the same eye with which Buddha sees me.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

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

The goal of meditation is not to achieve a blank mind, but to gain insight into the nature of mind itself.

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

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

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Like a dream, like an illusion, like a city of gandharvas, that's how birth, and that's how living, that's how dying are taught to be.

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

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

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

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

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

When we rest in awareness, we discover a peace that is always present, regardless of circumstances.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every moment.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

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