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

When one sees with wisdom that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, one is liberated from suffering.

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

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

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

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.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

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

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

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

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

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

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.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

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

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

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.

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

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

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

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

The person who clings to nothing of the past, present and future, who has no attachment and no aversion, has no conceptual imprints.

Your own treasure house contains everything you need; why search outside?

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

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

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

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

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

Don't try to push away the darkness. Just light a lamp. The darkness will disappear by itself.

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

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

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

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.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

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.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

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

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

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

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

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.

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.

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

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.