Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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

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

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

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.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

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 dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

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

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

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

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

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

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

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

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

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

The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery.

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

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

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

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

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

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

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

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

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

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

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

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

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

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

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

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.

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

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.

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.

Concentration develops naturally through continuous noting. Don't try to force concentration to arise.

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 most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

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

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.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

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

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

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

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

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

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.