Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.

The quality of every moment depends on the state of our minds.

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, do not squander your life.

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

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

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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.

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 secret of happiness is to want what you already have.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

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

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

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

When thoughts arise, recognize them as the display of your own awareness, like recognizing your own children in a crowd.

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion will break through an unreflecting mind.

To live is enough.

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

The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life contains suffering. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is craving.

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.