Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

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

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

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

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

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

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

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

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

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

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

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

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

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.

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

Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

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

The root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

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

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

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

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

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

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

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

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

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

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 goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

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

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

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.

Just to be alive is enough.