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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

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

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

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

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

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

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

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

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

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

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

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

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 gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

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

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.

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

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

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

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 attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

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

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

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

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

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.

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

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.