The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

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

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

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

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

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

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

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

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

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

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

Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.

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

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

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

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

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

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

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

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

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

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

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

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

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

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

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

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

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

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

Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

The purpose of Buddhist practice is not to become a Buddhist but to awaken to the nature of reality.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Our task is to learn to see clearly what is happening in each moment, rather than be lost in our reactions and judgments.

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

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

The goal of meditation is not to achieve a blank mind, but to gain insight into the nature of mind itself.

There are many ways to meditate. But at the heart of them all is mindfulness.

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

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.