People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

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

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

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

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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 color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

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

Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, just as ice and water are of the same substance.

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

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

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

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

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

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

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

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

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

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

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

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

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

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

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.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.

The experience of emptiness engenders compassion.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer.

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

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

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

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

The world is its own magic.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Life is available only in the present moment.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.

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

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.