Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

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

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

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

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

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

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

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

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

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 four foundations of mindfulness are not separate practices but different aspects of the same practice of clear awareness.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

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

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

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

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

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

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

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

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.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

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.

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 challenge in meditation is not to eliminate thinking but to understand the nature of thought itself.

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

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

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

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

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.

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

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

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

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

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

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

The trouble is, you think you have time.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

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

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

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

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.

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

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

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

My religion is to live and die without regret.