Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

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

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

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

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

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

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

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.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

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

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

When we look directly at our thoughts, they dissolve like bubbles in water.

The practice of meditation is like tuning an instrument. Too tight, and the strings break. Too loose, and they won't play.

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

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

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

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

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

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

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.

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

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

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

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

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

The moment you note a thought, it disappears. The noting mind keeps the hindrances away.

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

Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

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

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

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

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

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

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.

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

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

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.

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

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

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

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

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

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

When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharma intimately.

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

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

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

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