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

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 idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

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

Each moment of noting is a moment of purification, a moment of cultivating the path.

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

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

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

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

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 Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

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.

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

May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.

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

When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharma intimately.

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

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

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

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 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 listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

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

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

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

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

The practice of mindfulness is simple: whatever you experience, you observe and note it.

Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as your capacity to ground your attention in the present moment.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

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

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

In true vipassana practice, there is no room for likes and dislikes. There is only observation.

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

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

The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

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.

The cave I live in is empty and so is my mind. I live simply and at ease.

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

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

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouraged by this, we should continue it. This is the secret of practice.