Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

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

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

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

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

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

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

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

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

To be attached to a thing means that mind and the thing meet and grow into each other.

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

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

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

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

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

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

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

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

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

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

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

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

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

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

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

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

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

Be happy at the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.

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

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

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

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.

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

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

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

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

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

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.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

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

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

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

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

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

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

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