When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

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

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

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

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

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

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

Meditation is not about escaping from difficulty but about meeting it with awareness.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

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

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

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

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

Short moments, many times. That is the essence of meditation practice.

Meditation is not about stopping thoughts, but recognizing that we are not our thoughts.

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

When you run after your thoughts, you are like a dog chasing a stick. Every time a stick is thrown, you run after it. Instead, be like a lion who, rather than chasing after the stick, turns to face the thrower.

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

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

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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

The supreme path is not to fabricate anything. The supreme meditation is not to be distracted.

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

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

Better to have one moment of genuine meditation than to perform religious activities for a thousand years.

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

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

The yogi's joy is in the solitude of mountains, where all distractions naturally dissolve into emptiness.

Meditation is not just about sitting quietly, it's about transforming the mind.

In true vipassana practice, there is no room for likes and dislikes. There is only observation.

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.

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.

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

Sleep is the best meditation.

Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.

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

The practice of meditation is like learning to play an instrument - it takes patience, regular practice, and a gentle touch.

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

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

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.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

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

Meditation is not about trying to change your experience; it's about changing your relationship to your experience.

Meditation in the midst of activity is a thousand times superior to meditation in stillness.

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.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

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

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.

The goal of meditation is not to achieve a blank mind, but to gain insight into the nature of mind itself.

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

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

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