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

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

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

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

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.

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

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 movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

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

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.

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

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

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

Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The menu is not the meal.

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

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

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

The secret of happiness lies not in getting what we want, but in learning to want what we already have.

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

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

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

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

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

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

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

Face your own anger and you will be free from anger. Face your own fears and you will be free from fear.

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.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

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

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

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

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

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

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

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

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.

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.