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

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

The water in the ocean can be rough or calm. It can be clear or murky. But the water itself doesn't mind.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

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

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

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

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

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

The secret of happiness is to want what you already have.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

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

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

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

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.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

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

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

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

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

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

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

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

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

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

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

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.

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

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

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

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.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of these two.

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.

Just to be alive is enough.

Everybody has the light of Buddha within, but they don't look for it.

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

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

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

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 way we look at the world is the way the world looks.

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.

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

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

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

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.

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

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

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

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

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