The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

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 Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

Don't try to push away the darkness. Just light a lamp. The darkness will disappear by itself.

The menu is not the meal.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

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

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 obstacle is the path.

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

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

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

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.

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

The teaching of the Buddha is based on two truths: conventional truth and ultimate truth. Without understanding the relationship between these two, the deeper meaning of the Buddha's teaching cannot be understood.

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

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

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

True happiness is not about getting rid of all our problems, but about changing our relationship to them.

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

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

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

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

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

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

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

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 goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

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

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

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

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

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

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

Our defilements are like tame tigers. If you feed them, they're tame. If you stop feeding them, they'll eat you up.

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

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

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

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.

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

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

To see directly is to be free of hope and fear. Hope and fear are like a cloud before the sun.

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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

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

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

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