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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

Meditation is not about trying to change ourselves. Meditation is about being aware of what is.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

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

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.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

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

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

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

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.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.

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

Just know what is happening in your mind - not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer, see it, know it, be empty.

Life is available only in the present moment.

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.

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

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

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.

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

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

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

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.