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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

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

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

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

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

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

The noting mind and the object noted appear to occur as a pair. Through concentration they are seen to arise and vanish together.

The path is not about perfecting ourselves, but about perfecting our love.

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

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is often said. When you are inspired by some spiritual teacher, you can have a very strong connection with that person, and thereby the blessings can enter.

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

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

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

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

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

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

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

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

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

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

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

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

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.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

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

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

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

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

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.

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

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Short moments, many times. That is the essence of meditation practice.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

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