Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

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

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

To live is enough.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

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.

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

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

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

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

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

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.

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

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

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

Peace is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

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

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

What Zen wants us to do is to acquire an entirely new point of view whereby to look into the mysteries of life and the secrets of nature.

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

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

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