The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

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

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

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.

In our struggle for freedom, truth is the only weapon we possess.

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

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

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.

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

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

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

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

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

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

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

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

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

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

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

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

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

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.

Those who grasp at things as truly existent are like someone trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

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

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 nature of mind is the unity of awareness and emptiness.

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

True happiness is not about getting rid of all our problems, but about changing our relationship to them.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

The essence of mind is empty like space; yet it contains all things, like a mirror.

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

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

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

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

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

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

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

The root of suffering is attachment.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

To live fully is to let go and die with each step.

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

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

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.