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

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.

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

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

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

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

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

There are many ways to meditate. But at the heart of them all is mindfulness.

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

The object of meditation and the mind which knows it must be noted as they occur. If they are not noted, desire arises and disturbs concentration.

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

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

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

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

Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as your capacity to ground your attention in the present moment.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When thoughts arise, recognize them as the display of your own awareness, like recognizing your own children in a crowd.

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

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

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

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.

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.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

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

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

Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening now. Don't try to figure anything out. Don't try to make anything happen. Relax, right now, and rest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.