Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

The obstacle is the path.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

Should you desire the great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

Meditation is not an escape from life but a way to fully engage with life.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

Our task is to learn to see clearly what is happening in each moment, rather than be lost in our reactions and judgments.

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

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

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.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

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

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

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.

Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, do not squander your life.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

The practice of mindfulness is simply to bring awareness to what we are doing, what we are saying, and what we are thinking.

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

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

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

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

The more you meditate, the more you understand yourself and the better friend you become to yourself.

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

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

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

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

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

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.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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

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

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

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

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

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

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

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

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

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