Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

In meditation, we are continuously discovering who and what we are.

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

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

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.

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

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

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.

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 development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

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

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

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.

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

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

The moment you note a thought, it disappears. The noting mind keeps the hindrances away.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

Life is nothing but a continuous chain of sensations. Pleasant or unpleasant, observe them objectively.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Our defilements are like tame tigers. If you feed them, they're tame. If you stop feeding them, they'll eat you up.

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

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

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

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

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

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

Meditation is the road to happiness.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

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.

Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

When you note effectively, there is no time for defilements to arise. The mind becomes pure through noting.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

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

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

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

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

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

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

My religion is to live and die without regret.