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

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

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

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

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

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

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

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

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

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 root of suffering is attachment.

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

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

Wherever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything. That is more true than I can say, and more true than you can hear.

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

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

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

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

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

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

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

Emptiness which is conceptually liable to be mistaken for sheer nothingness is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Just to be alive is enough.

To see nothing is to perceive the Way, and to understand nothing is to know the Dharma.

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

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

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

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

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

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

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

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

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.

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

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

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

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

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

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.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

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

When you understand that all phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self, attachment naturally falls away.

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

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

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

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