The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

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

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

What we learn about the world is colored by the way we approach it.

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

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

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

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

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

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

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

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

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

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

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

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

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

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

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

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

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

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through it.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

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

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

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

Life is available only in the present moment.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

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

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

To live is enough.

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

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

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

The victorious ones have said that emptiness is the relinquishing of all views. Those who are possessed of the view of emptiness are said to be incurable.

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

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

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

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.