Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

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.

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

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

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

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.

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.

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

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

Meditation is the road to happiness.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

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

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

Meditation is not an escape from life but a way to fully engage with life.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

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

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

Short moments, many times. That is the essence of meditation practice.

The supreme path is not to fabricate anything. The supreme meditation is not to be distracted.

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

The practice of Dharma is a constant battle within oneself.

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.

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

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

Our defilements are like tame tigers. If you feed them, they're tame. If you stop feeding them, they'll eat you up.

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

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

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

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

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

The real purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

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 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 true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

The key to meditation is to recognize the nature of your mind rather than trying to change it.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

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

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

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

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.

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.

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

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.

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

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.