The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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

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.

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

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

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.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

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 measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

The menu is not the meal.

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

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

Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

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

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

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful 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.

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

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

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

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

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will, but through understanding and through letting go.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

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

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

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

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

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.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

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

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

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

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.

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 that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

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.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

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

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

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

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

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

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

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.