The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

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

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

Forgiveness is not a moral issue. It's a power issue. When we hold onto grievance and resentment, we are giving our power away.

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

The dharma is not in the books. If you want to find the dharma, look in your mind.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

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

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

When you understand that all phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self, attachment naturally falls away.

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

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

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

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

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

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

Compassion is a verb.

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

The person who clings to nothing of the past, present and future, who has no attachment and no aversion, has no conceptual imprints.