What is the sound of one hand clapping?

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

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

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

The practice of meditation is like learning to play an instrument - it takes patience, regular practice, and a gentle touch.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

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

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.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

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

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

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

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

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

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

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

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

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

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

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

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

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

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

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

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

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

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

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.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

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

In true vipassana practice, there is no room for likes and dislikes. There is only observation.

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

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

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

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

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

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

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.

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.

Love is not a feeling. It's a capability.

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

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.

May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.

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