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

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

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.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

The root of suffering is attachment.

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

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

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

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.

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

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

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

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

The Four Noble Truths are not mere doctrinal propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our lives.

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

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

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

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

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

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

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

The obstacle is the path.

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.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

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

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

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

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

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

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

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

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

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

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

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

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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 is not found by changing the world, but by changing your attitude to the world.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

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

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

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

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.