People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

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 heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

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

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

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.

Our own life has to be our message.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

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

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

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

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

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

We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things.

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.

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

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

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

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

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

When we rest in awareness, we discover a peace that is always present, regardless of circumstances.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

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

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.

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

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

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.

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

Meditation is not about escaping from difficulty but about meeting it with awareness.

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

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

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

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

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.

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

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

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.