The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.

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

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

The nature of mind is like a mirror. It is not affected by whatever appears in it, yet it never fails to reflect everything perfectly.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

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

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

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.

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.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.