If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

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.

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

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

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

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

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

The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

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

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.

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

When you generate negativity, you are the first victim of your negativity.

When you note effectively, there is no time for defilements to arise. The mind becomes pure through noting.

The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The noting mind and the object noted appear to occur as a pair. Through concentration they are seen to arise and vanish together.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

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.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

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

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

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

As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who does not practice it.

Compassion is a verb.

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

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

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

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

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

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

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

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

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

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.

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

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

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

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.