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.

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

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

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

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

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.

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

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

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

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

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

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

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

The essence of mind is empty like space; yet it contains all things, like a mirror.

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

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

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.

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

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

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

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

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

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

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

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

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

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

The mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Zen wants us to do is to acquire an entirely new point of view whereby to look into the mysteries of life and the secrets of nature.

For whom emptiness is possible, everything is possible. For whom emptiness is not possible, nothing is possible.

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

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.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

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

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

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

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

The eye with which I see Buddha is the same eye with which Buddha sees me.

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

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

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