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

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

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

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.

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

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

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

Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.

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

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

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.

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

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

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

Appearances are mind, mind itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is spontaneous presence.

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

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

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

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

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

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

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

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

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

Just to be alive is enough.

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

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

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

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

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

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

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

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

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