The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

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

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

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

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

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

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

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

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

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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

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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

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

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

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

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

The three characteristics - impermanence, suffering, and non-self - are not philosophical concepts but aspects of experience to be directly observed.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

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

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

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

The menu is not the meal.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

When you generate negativity, you are the first victim of your negativity.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

Better to have one moment of genuine meditation than to perform religious activities for a thousand years.

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

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

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

To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is not to have anxiety over imperfection.

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

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

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

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

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

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

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

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time.

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

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

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.