What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is what you do now.

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.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

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.

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

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

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

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

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

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.

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

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

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

When we rest in awareness, we discover a peace that is always present, regardless of circumstances.

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

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.

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

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.

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

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

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

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

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

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

The practice of mindfulness transforms the mind from a place of suffering into an instrument of enlightenment.

Whatever we do, we should see ourselves. Reading books doesn't show us our defilements. Watch yourself. Watch your mind.

Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

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.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

The quality of every moment depends on the state of our minds.

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

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.

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

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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.

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

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

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

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

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

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

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

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

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?

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

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

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

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

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

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.

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

The difference between misery and happiness depends on what we do with our attention.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life.