True happiness is not about getting rid of all our problems, but about changing our relationship to them.

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else.

Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

The nature of mind is the unity of awareness and emptiness.

What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

The teaching of the Buddha is based on two truths: conventional truth and ultimate truth. Without understanding the relationship between these two, the deeper meaning of the Buddha's teaching cannot be understood.

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

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

The essence of mind is empty like space; yet it contains all things, like a mirror.

Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side.

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

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

The awareness that you are here, right now, is the ultimate fact.

The way we look at the world is the way the world looks.

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

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

The menu is not the meal.

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

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

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

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

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

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

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

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

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

The secret of happiness is to want what you already have.

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.