When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

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

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.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

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

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

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

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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

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

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

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

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

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

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

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

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

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

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

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

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

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

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

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every 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 mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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

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

When one sees with wisdom that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, one is liberated from suffering.

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

To live is enough.

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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

The world is its own magic.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

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

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

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

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

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

The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

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

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.