The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

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

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

The experience of emptiness engenders compassion.

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

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.

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

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

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

The path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

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

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

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

The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

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

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

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

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

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

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

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

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

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

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

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

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.

Life is available only in the present moment.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

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.

When you understand that all phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self, attachment naturally falls away.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

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

The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

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

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

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

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

The purpose of Buddhist practice is not to become a Buddhist but to awaken to the nature of reality.

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.

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?

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

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