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

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

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

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

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

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

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

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

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

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

This very body is the Buddha. And this very earth the lotus paradise.

Like a dream, like an illusion, like a city of gandharvas, that's how birth, and that's how living, that's how dying are taught to be.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

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

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

Peace is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

Everybody has the light of Buddha within, but they don't look for it.

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.

My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of these two.

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

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

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

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

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

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.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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.

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

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

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

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