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

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

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

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

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

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

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

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

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

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

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

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

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

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

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.

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

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

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

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

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

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

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

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 willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

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

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

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

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

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

The water in the ocean can be rough or calm. It can be clear or murky. But the water itself doesn't mind.

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

Peace is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

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

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is awakened.

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.

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

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.

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

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

The root of suffering is attachment.

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.

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

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

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

My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of these two.

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