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

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.

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.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

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

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

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

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

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.

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

To what shall I compare this life? It is like a boat that left at dawn, leaving no trace.

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

Because you are alive, everything is possible.

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

The mind is the forerunner of all things. Our present life is the result of our past thoughts, and our future life will be the result of our present thoughts.

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy, and happiness is found in benefiting others.

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

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

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.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

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 you want to find peace, then look at that point where you find you're dissatisfied and investigate what's really going on.

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

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

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

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

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

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

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

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

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

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

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

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

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.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

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

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

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

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

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

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

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

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

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

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel.