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

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

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

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.

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

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.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

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

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

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Each breath is a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to awaken.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

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

Just observe whatever arises. Don't try to create anything, and don't reject anything.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

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.

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.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

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

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

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

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

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

The yogi's joy is in the solitude of mountains, where all distractions naturally dissolve into emptiness.

The snow lion stays in the mountains, and the snow lion's ways are the snow lion's ways.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

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

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Our own life has to be our message.

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.

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.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

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

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.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.