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

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.

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

The way to overcome anger is to be too busy being kind to have time to be angry.

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

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

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

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

Our task is not to seek for love but to find all the barriers within ourselves that we have built against it.

Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

The purpose of Buddhist practice is not to become a Buddhist but to awaken to the nature of reality.

Meditation in the midst of activity is a thousand times superior to meditation in stillness.

Meditation is not about escaping from difficulty but about meeting it with awareness.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

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.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

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

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

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

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

We need to learn to let our emotions pass through us like waves, without getting caught in their undertow.

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.

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

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

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

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

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

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

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

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

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

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

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

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

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

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

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

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

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

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

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.

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

My religion is to live and die without regret.

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

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.

Compassion is a verb.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

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

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