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

In meditation, we're not trying to get rid of thoughts but to recognize their true nature.

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

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

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

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

The cultivation of loving-kindness has the power to transform enmity into amity, hostility into hospitality.

The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill.

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

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

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

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

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

The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

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

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

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

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

Each breath is a new beginning, a fresh opportunity to awaken.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

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

The key to meditation is to recognize the nature of your mind rather than trying to change it.

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

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

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

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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

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.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

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 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.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

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

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

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

When you generate negativity, you are the first victim of your negativity.

As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who does not practice it.

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

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

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

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

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

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

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 development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

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

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