In Zen there must be satori; there must be a general mental upheaval which destroys the old accumulations of intellection and lays down the foundation for a new life.

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

What we learn about the world is colored by the way we approach it.

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.

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

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

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

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

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

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

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.

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

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

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

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

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

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

The menu is not the meal.

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

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.

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

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 difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

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

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.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

Neither from itself nor from another, nor from both, nor without a cause, does anything whatever, anywhere arise.

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

Don't try to push away the darkness. Just light a lamp. The darkness will disappear by itself.

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

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

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

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.

Those who grasp at things as truly existent are like someone trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water.

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

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

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

To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

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.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

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

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.