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.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

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

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.

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

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

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

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.

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

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

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

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

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

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

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

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

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

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 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.

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

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

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

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

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

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

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

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

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

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

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

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.

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

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

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.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

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

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

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

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

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

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

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

The practice of meditation is like tuning an instrument. Too tight, and the strings break. Too loose, and they won't play.

A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.

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

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

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

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

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