The essence of the spiritual journey is the uncovering of what is always already present.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

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

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

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

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

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

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

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.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

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

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

Every time we become aware of a thought, as opposed to being lost in a thought, we experience that opening of the mind.

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.