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

When you are you, Zen is Zen. Big mind is just big mind.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

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

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

The world is its own magic.

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

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

In Zen there must be satori; there must be a general mental upheaval which destroys the old accumulations of intellection and lays down the foundation for a new life.

My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of these two.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

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

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

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

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

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.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is awakened.

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

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

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

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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

Whatever is dependently co-arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way.

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

Those who grasp at things as truly existent are like someone trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

Just to be alive is enough.

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

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

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

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

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

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

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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

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

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

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.