The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.

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

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.

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

The difference between being caught in thoughts and being mindful of thoughts is like the difference between being in a movie and watching a movie.

Be happy at the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.

Meditation is not about getting away from it all. It's about getting into it all.

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

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

The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

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

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

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

Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

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

Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

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

The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

The real purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

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

The whole path of mindfulness is about letting go. We let go of our attachment to our views, our attachment to our opinions, our attachment to our ideas.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

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

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

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

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.

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.

Every time we become aware of a thought, as opposed to being lost in a thought, we experience that opening of the mind.

Each moment of noting is a moment of purification, a moment of cultivating the path.

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.

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

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well.

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you intuit dharma intimately.