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

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

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

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

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

The eye with which I see Buddha is the same eye with which Buddha sees me.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

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

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

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

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

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

The victorious ones have said that emptiness is the relinquishing of all views. Those who are possessed of the view of emptiness are said to be incurable.

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

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

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

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

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

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

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

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.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

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

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

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.

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.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

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

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

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.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

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.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

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

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

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

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

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

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

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

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

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

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

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

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

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