The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

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

Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

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.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

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

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

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

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

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

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

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 essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

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

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

Forgiveness is not a moral issue. It's a power issue. When we hold onto grievance and resentment, we are giving our power away.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

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

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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.

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

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

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

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

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.

Life is nothing but a continuous chain of sensations. Pleasant or unpleasant, observe them objectively.

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

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

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

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

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

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

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

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

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.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

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

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.