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

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

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

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

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

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

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

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

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

The world is its own magic.

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

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

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

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

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

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

To live is enough.

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

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

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

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

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

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

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

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

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

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

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

The path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.

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

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

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

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

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

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

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

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

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

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

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

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

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

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

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

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

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

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

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

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

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

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

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