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

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

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

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

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

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

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

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

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

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

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.

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.

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

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

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.

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

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

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

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

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

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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

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

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

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

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

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

When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another – and ourselves.

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

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

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

Panic is a gateway to wisdom. When we learn to stay present with our panic, it becomes our teacher.

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

When you generate negativity, you are the first victim of your negativity.

The dharma is not about collecting more beliefs but about becoming free from the power of belief itself.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

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

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

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

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

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

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