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

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.

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

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

Just to be alive is enough.

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 Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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.

Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities.

When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

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

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

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

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

The world is its own magic.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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.

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

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

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

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

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

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

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

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

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

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

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

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

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

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

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

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

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

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

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

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

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

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

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

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

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

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

Wherever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything. That is more true than I can say, and more true than you can hear.