Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

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

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

Just know what is happening in your mind - not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer, see it, know it, be empty.

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

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

Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

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

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

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

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

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

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

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

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

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

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

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

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

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

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.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

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

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

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

Life is nothing but a continuous chain of sensations. Pleasant or unpleasant, observe them objectively.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

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

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

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 goal of meditation is not to achieve a blank mind, but to gain insight into the nature of mind itself.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

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.

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

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

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.