Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

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.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

The state of mind that exists when you sit in the right posture is, itself, enlightenment.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

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

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

In the moment of anger, abandon anger but not the person. In the moment of attachment, abandon attachment but not the person.

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.

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

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

The root of suffering is attachment.

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

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

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.

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.

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.