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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Just as the wise do not take a mirage to be water, nor an echo to be a voice, so the enlightened do not take the world to be real.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

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.

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.

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

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

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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

The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.

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

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

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

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.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

The world is its own magic.

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

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

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.

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

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

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

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

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

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

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

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

When one sees with wisdom that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, one is liberated from suffering.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

To live fully is to let go and die with each step.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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