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

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

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

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

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

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

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

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what's happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what's happening.

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can't solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside.

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

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

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

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.

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

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

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

Life is available only in the present moment.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

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.

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

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

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

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

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

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

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

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

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

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.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

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

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

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

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.