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

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

When the heart is still, it can be kind. When the mind is still, it can see clearly.

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

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

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

Life is available only in the present moment.

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.

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

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.

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

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

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

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

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

If you want to find peace, then look at that point where you find you're dissatisfied and investigate what's really going on.

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

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

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.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

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

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

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

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

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 deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

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

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

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top.

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help.

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

What we learn about the world is colored by the way we approach it.

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

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

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

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.

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

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

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

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

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life contains suffering. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is craving.

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

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.