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

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

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

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

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

The moment you note a thought, it disappears. The noting mind keeps the hindrances away.

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

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

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

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

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

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

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

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

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

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

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

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

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

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

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

The practice of meditation is like learning to play an instrument - it takes patience, regular practice, and a gentle touch.

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.

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

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

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

The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

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.

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

Short moments, many times. That is the essence of meditation practice.

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

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

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

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

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

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

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

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

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

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

The rising and falling of the abdomen is not the main object. The main object is to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

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

When both body and mind are at peace, all things appear as they are: perfect, complete, lacking nothing.

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.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

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

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

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

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.