We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

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

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.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

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

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

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

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

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

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

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

There are many ways to meditate. But at the heart of them all is mindfulness.

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

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

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

The obstacle is the path.

In meditation, we're not trying to get rid of thoughts but to recognize their true nature.

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

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

Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.

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

The dharma is not in the books. If you want to find the dharma, look in your mind.

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

The mind has first to be attuned to the Unconscious.

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

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

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

When we look directly at our thoughts, they dissolve like bubbles in water.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

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

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.

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

When we develop patience, we find that we develop a reserve of calm and tranquility.

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.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

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.

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

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

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

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.

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

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