Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

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.

As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who does not practice it.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

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

When you listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

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.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

Life is nothing but a continuous chain of sensations. Pleasant or unpleasant, observe them objectively.

The whole path of mindfulness is about letting go. We let go of our attachment to our views, our attachment to our opinions, our attachment to our ideas.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

The master's introduction is direct recognition of one's own nature. Meditation is maintaining the continuity of this recognition.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery.

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

Metta (loving-kindness) becomes truly effective only when it arises from a peaceful mind, a pure mind, a balanced mind.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as your capacity to ground your attention in the present moment.

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

Compassion is a verb.

The object of meditation and the mind which knows it must be noted as they occur. If they are not noted, desire arises and disturbs concentration.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

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

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

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

Just observe whatever arises. Don't try to create anything, and don't reject anything.

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.