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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

The four foundations of mindfulness are not separate practices but different aspects of the same practice of clear awareness.

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

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

When you note effectively, there is no time for defilements to arise. The mind becomes pure through noting.

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

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.

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.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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?

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.

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

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.

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

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

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

The practice of mindfulness is simply to bring awareness to what we are doing, what we are saying, and what we are thinking.

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

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

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

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

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

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.

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

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

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.