The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

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

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

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

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

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

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

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

The water in the ocean can be rough or calm. It can be clear or murky. But the water itself doesn't mind.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

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

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

The snow lion stays in the mountains, and the snow lion's ways are the snow lion's ways.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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

In the gap between thoughts, nonconceptual wisdom shines continuously.

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

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

To what shall I compare this life? It is like a boat that left at dawn, leaving no trace.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

To live is enough.

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

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

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

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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.

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

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.