Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

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

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

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

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.

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

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

Love is not a feeling. It's a capability.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

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.

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

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

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

The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

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

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

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

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.