The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.

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

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

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.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

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

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

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

Compassion is a verb.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

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

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

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

The more you meditate, the more you understand yourself and the better friend you become to yourself.

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

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.

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

The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

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

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

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

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

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

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.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

When you listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.

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

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

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

The ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

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

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

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.

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.

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

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

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