Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.

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

This very body is the Buddha. And this very earth the lotus paradise.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

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.

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

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

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

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

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

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

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

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

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

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

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

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

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

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

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

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

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

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

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

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

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

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

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

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.

The mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

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

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

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

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

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

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

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

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

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

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.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

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.

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

Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.

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