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

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

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

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

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

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

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

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

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

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

The nature of mind is like a mirror. It is not affected by whatever appears in it, yet it never fails to reflect everything perfectly.

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

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

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

Neither from itself nor from another, nor from both, nor without a cause, does anything whatever, anywhere arise.

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

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

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

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

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 purpose of Buddhist practice is not to become a Buddhist but to awaken to the nature of reality.

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

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.

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

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

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

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer.

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

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

To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

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