Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

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

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

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.

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

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

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

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 practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

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

Every time we become aware of a thought, as opposed to being lost in a thought, we experience that opening of the mind.

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

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

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

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

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

The rising and falling of the abdomen is not the main object. The main object is to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

The challenge in meditation is not to eliminate thinking but to understand the nature of thought itself.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

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

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

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

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

The practice of mindfulness is simple: whatever you experience, you observe and note it.