All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

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

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

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

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

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

Neither from itself nor from another, nor from both, nor without a cause, does anything whatever, anywhere arise.

The path is the goal. Every step of the journey is the journey.

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

The grass is greener where you water it.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

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

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

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

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

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

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer evil with good. Conquer stinginess with giving. Conquer deceit with truth.

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

The more you suffer the deeper grows your character, and with the deepening of your character you read the more penetratingly into the secrets of life.

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

Face your own anger and you will be free from anger. Face your own fears and you will be free from fear.

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

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

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.

When we understand that peace is not dependent on external conditions, we can find it in the midst of any circumstance.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

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

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

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

The obstacle is the path.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

When we know the truth, we become people who don't have to think much, we become people with wisdom.

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

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

When the mind is ready to understand, the truth will come to meet it.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

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.

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

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

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

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

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.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.

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

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

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.