The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

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

When the mind is ready to understand, the truth will come to meet it.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

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

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

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

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

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

My father is the intrinsic awareness, Samantabhadra. My mother is the ultimate sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. I belong to the caste of non-duality of these two.

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

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.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

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

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

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

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

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

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

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

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

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

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

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.

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

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

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

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

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

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

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

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

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

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

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

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

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

The nature of mind is clearer than the sky, yet we keep looking elsewhere.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

In the gap between thoughts, nonconceptual wisdom shines continuously.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.