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.

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

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

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

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

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

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

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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.

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

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.