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

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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

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

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

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

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The more you meditate, the more you understand yourself and the better friend you become to yourself.

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

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

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

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

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

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

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

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.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don't try to figure anything out. Don't try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

Meditation is not just about sitting quietly, it's about transforming the mind.

When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

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

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

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

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

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

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

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

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

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

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

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 trouble is, you think you have time.

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

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

The grass is greener where you water it.

Our own life has to be our message.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

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

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

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

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

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

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

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.