True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

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

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

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

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

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world.

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

It is never too late to turn on the light.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

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

The world is its own magic.

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

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

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.

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

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

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.

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

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.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

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

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

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

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.

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.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

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

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

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

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

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

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

The mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

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

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

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

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

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

Buddhist practice is not to eliminate life's problems but to grow with them patiently and with compassion.

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

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

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.