The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

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

May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated.

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

Our own life has to be our message.

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

When you listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

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

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

The four foundations of mindfulness are not separate practices but different aspects of the same practice of clear awareness.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

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

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

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

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

Concentration develops naturally through continuous noting. Don't try to force concentration to arise.

The grass is greener where you water it.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

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

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

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

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouraged by this, we should continue it. This is the secret of practice.

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

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

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.

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

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

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.

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

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

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

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

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

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

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

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

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

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

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.

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

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

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

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

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

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.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

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

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.

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