Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

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

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

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.

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

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

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

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

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

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

What Zen wants us to do is to acquire an entirely new point of view whereby to look into the mysteries of life and the secrets of nature.

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

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

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.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

The menu is not the meal.

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

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

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

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

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 Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

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

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

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

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

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

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.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

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

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

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

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

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

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

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

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 reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

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

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

Both formerly and now, it is only suffering that I describe, and the cessation of suffering.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

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

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

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

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

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

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.