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.

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

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

To see directly is to be free of hope and fear. Hope and fear are like a cloud before the sun.

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

The nature of the mind is like the sky, and our thoughts, emotions, and experiences are like clouds passing through 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.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

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

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

The key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion.

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

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

The development of wisdom does not occur in isolation but requires the cultivation of the entire Noble Eightfold Path.

True freedom is a freedom from the tyranny of our own thoughts and afflictive emotions.

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.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

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

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

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.

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 sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

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

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.

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

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.

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 best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

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

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 path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.

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

Happiness is found in the simplest of things. It is not in the things you own, but in the love you share.

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

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

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

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

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.

The Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

When the heart is still, it can be kind. When the mind is still, it can see clearly.

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

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

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.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

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