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.

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

The Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

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

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

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

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

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

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

The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

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

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every moment.

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

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

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

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

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.

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

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

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.

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

The person who clings to nothing of the past, present and future, who has no attachment and no aversion, has no conceptual imprints.

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

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

To live fully is to let go and die with each step.

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.

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

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

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.

Just to be alive is enough.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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

To live is enough.