It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

Liberation is not found by running away from our experience but by looking deeply into it.

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

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

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

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

Zen proposes its solution by directly appealing to facts of personal experience and not to book-knowledge.

The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

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.

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

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

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

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

Love is not a feeling. It's a capability.

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

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

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

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

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

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

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

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

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

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.

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

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

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

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

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

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

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

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

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

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.

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

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

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.

Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.

Life is available only in the present moment.

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

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

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

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