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.

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

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

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

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.

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

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

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

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

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.

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

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

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

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

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

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

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

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

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

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 ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

The menu is not the meal.

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

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

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

The world is its own magic.

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

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

True happiness is not about getting rid of all our problems, but about changing our relationship to them.

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

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

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

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

Appearances are mind, mind itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is spontaneous presence.

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.

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

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

The basic teaching of Buddhism is the teaching of transiency, or change.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

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

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

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

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

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

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

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

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

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

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

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