The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

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

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.

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness has the power to transform enmity into amity, hostility into hospitality.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

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

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

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Better to have one moment of genuine meditation than to perform religious activities for a thousand years.

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

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

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.

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

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

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

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 ultimate purpose of Buddhism is to serve and benefit humanity.

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.

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

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

The master's introduction is direct recognition of one's own nature. Meditation is maintaining the continuity of this recognition.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

Meditation is not just about sitting quietly, it's about transforming the mind.

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

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

The practice of mindfulness is simple: whatever you experience, you observe and note it.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

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

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

The grass is greener where you water it.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

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

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

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

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

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.

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

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

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

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.

Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

The whole path of mindfulness is about letting go. We let go of our attachment to our views, our attachment to our opinions, our attachment to our ideas.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.