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

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.

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.

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

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

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

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

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 perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

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

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

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

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.

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

Our task is to learn to see clearly what is happening in each moment, rather than be lost in our reactions and judgments.

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

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

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

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.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

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.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.

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

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

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

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

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

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.

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The awareness that you are here, right now, is the ultimate fact.

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

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.

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.

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