The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

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

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 period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

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

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

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.

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.

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

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

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

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

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

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

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

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

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

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

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

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

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

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

All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

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.

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

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 dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

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

To live – is that not enough? To love – is that not everything?

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

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

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

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

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

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.

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

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life contains suffering. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is craving.

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

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

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