Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is awakened.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, just as ice and water are of the same substance.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

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

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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

Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

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

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every moment.

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

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

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

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

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

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

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

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

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

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 key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

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

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

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