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

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 deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

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.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

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.

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

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

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

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

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

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

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

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

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

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate. Live in joy, in health, even among the afflicted. Live in joy, in peace, even among the troubled. Look within, be still.

Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

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

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

Meditation is not about escaping from difficulty but about meeting it with awareness.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is often said. When you are inspired by some spiritual teacher, you can have a very strong connection with that person, and thereby the blessings can enter.

Just know what is happening in your mind - not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer, see it, know it, be empty.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

The object of meditation and the mind which knows it must be noted as they occur. If they are not noted, desire arises and disturbs concentration.

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.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

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

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

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

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

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. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

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

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

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

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

My religion is to live and die without regret.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

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

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.