Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.

Compassion is a verb.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

Just observe whatever arises. Don't try to create anything, and don't reject anything.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

The victorious ones have said that emptiness is the relinquishing of all views. Those who are possessed of the view of emptiness are said to be incurable.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

The path is not about perfecting ourselves, but about perfecting our love.

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities.

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

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

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.