Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

When you note effectively, there is no time for defilements to arise. The mind becomes pure through noting.

We need to learn to let our emotions pass through us like waves, without getting caught in their undertow.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Meditation in the midst of activity is a thousand times superior to meditation in stillness.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

In meditation, we're not trying to get rid of thoughts but to recognize their true nature.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

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

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

When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

The yogi's joy is in the solitude of mountains, where all distractions naturally dissolve into emptiness.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

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

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

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

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

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

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

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

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

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.

The grass is greener where you water it.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

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.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.

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

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

The noting mind and the object noted appear to occur as a pair. Through concentration they are seen to arise and vanish together.

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

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

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

The practice of Dharma is a constant battle within oneself.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

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

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

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

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

Concentration develops naturally through continuous noting. Don't try to force concentration to arise.