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

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

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

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

The person who clings to nothing of the past, present and future, who has no attachment and no aversion, has no conceptual imprints.

The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

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

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

The key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion.

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

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

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

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

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

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

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

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

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

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

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.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.

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

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

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

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

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

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

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

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

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

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.

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

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

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

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

When you love someone, you have to have trust and confidence. Love without trust is not yet love.

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

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

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

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

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

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.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

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

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

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

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