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

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

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.

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 we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

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

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

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

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

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

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

The menu is not the meal.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

The biggest prison is the one we build in our own mind.

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.

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.

Forgiveness is not a moral issue. It's a power issue. When we hold onto grievance and resentment, we are giving our power away.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

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

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

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

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

To be attached to a thing means that mind and the thing meet and grow into each other.

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

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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

Be happy at the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.

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

The practice of Buddhism is fundamentally a practice of expanding our happiness and diminishing our suffering.

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.