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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

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

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.

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

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.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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?

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.

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

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

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

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

When we look directly at our thoughts, they dissolve like bubbles in water.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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