The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

Each breath is a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to awaken.

If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer.

Appearances are mind, mind itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is spontaneous presence.

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

For whom emptiness is possible, everything is possible. For whom emptiness is not possible, nothing is possible.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

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

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

Love is not a feeling. It's a capability.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Each moment of noting is a moment of purification, a moment of cultivating the path.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

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

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

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

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

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

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

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

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.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

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

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