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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

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.

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

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

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.

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

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

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

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

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

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

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

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

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

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

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

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

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

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

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

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

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

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

The awareness that you are here, right now, is the ultimate fact.

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

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

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

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

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

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

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

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

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

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

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

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

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

The menu is not the meal.

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

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

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

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

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

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

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

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

The root of suffering is attachment.

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