The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

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 true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

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

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

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

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

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

The way to overcome anger is to be too busy being kind to have time to be angry.

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

Our own life has to be our message.

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

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

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

The practice of mindfulness transforms the mind from a place of suffering into an instrument of enlightenment.

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.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

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

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.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

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

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

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

When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

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

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

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

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

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

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

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

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

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

Face your own anger and you will be free from anger. Face your own fears and you will be free from fear.

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

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

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

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

Meditation is not an escape from life but a way to fully engage with life.

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.

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

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

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

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

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.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

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

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