Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

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

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

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

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

Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

When you understand that all phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self, attachment naturally falls away.

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

Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone.

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

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

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

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

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

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

Life is nothing but a continuous chain of sensations. Pleasant or unpleasant, observe them objectively.

We should find perfect existence through imperfect existence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

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

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

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.

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.

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.

Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

The only things that are truly mine are my actions and their results.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

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

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

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

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

To live fully is to let go and die with each step.

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

Buddhist practice is not to eliminate life's problems but to grow with them patiently and with compassion.

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

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

The world is its own magic.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

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

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.

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.

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

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

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