If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

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

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

In meditation, we are continuously discovering who and what we are.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, do not squander your life.

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

When we develop patience, we find that we develop a reserve of calm and tranquility.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

The dharma is not in the books. If you want to find the dharma, look in your mind.

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

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

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

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

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.

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.

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.

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

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

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

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

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

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

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

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

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

The cave I live in is empty and so is my mind. I live simply and at ease.

The four foundations of mindfulness are not separate practices but different aspects of the same practice of clear awareness.

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

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

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

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

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

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

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

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

The Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

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

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

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.

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

Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but recognizing that we are not our thoughts.

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

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

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

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.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

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

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

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