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

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

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.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

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

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

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

Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate. Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted. Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled. Look within, be still.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

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

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.

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

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

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.

Every time we become aware of a thought, as opposed to being lost in a thought, we experience that opening of the mind.

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouraged by this, we should continue it. This is the secret of practice.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

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

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

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

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

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

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

The grass is greener where you water it.

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.

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

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

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

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

Meditation is not about trying to change your experience; it's about changing your relationship to your experience.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.

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

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.

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

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

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

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.