We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

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

To what shall I compare this life? It is like a boat that left at dawn, leaving no trace.

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

The ultimate revolution is the spiritual revolution, where we learn to see reality as it truly is.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

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

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

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

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 mind is everything. What you think you become.

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

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

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

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

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

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

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

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

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

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

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

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

The path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.

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

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

My religion is to live and die without regret.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

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.

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

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

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

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

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

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

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

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

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

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

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

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

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

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

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

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.