Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

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

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

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.

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

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

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

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

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

My religion is to live and die without regret.

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.

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

The teaching is simple: act with kindness and compassion. If you cannot do this, at least try not to harm others.

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.

Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

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

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

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

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

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

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

The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.

When we rest in awareness, we discover a peace that is always present, regardless of circumstances.

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

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

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

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

Meditation is not about getting away from it all. It's about getting into it all.

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

The challenge in meditation is not to eliminate thinking but to understand the nature of thought itself.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

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

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

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

The practice of mindfulness is simple: whatever you experience, you observe and note it.

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

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

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

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

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

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

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

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

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.

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

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.