The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

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

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

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

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

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

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

The obstacle is the path.

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

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.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

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

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.

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

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

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

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.

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

Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but recognizing that we are not our thoughts.

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

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

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

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

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.

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.

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

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

Technical knowledge is not enough. One must transcend techniques so that the art becomes an artless art, growing out of the unconscious.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

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

The yogi's joy is in the solitude of mountains, where all distractions naturally dissolve into emptiness.

Buddhist practice is not to eliminate life's problems but to grow with them patiently and with compassion.

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

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

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

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.

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

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

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

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

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