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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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

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

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

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

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

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

The state of mind that exists when you sit in the right posture is, itself, enlightenment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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 getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

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

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

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

Maintain the state of undistractedness and distractions will fly away.

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

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

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

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

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