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

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

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

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 path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

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

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.

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

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

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every moment.

Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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

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

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.

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

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

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

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

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

Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side.

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.

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

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

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

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

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

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

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

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

The experience of emptiness engenders compassion.

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

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.