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

The essence of the spiritual journey is the uncovering of what is always already present.

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

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

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.

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

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

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

Don't think that only sitting with the eyes closed is practice. If you do think this way, then quickly change your thinking.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

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.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

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

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

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

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.

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

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

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

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

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

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

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

Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher.

To live is enough.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

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

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

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

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

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

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

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

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

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

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

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 Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

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

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

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

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

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

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

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