Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

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

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

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 true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

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

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

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

The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world.

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

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

To live is enough.

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

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

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 mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

The secret of happiness is to want what you already have.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

The more you understand impermanence, the more you appreciate every moment.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

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.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.

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

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

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.

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

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

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.