When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

The true hero is one who conquers his own anger and hatred.

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

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.

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

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

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

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

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

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

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

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

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

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

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

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

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

The Buddha's teachings are not about abandoning our lives but about bringing the fullness of our attention to our lives.

The obstacle is the path.

When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.

The real meaning of enlightenment is to gaze with undimmed eyes on all darkness.

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

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.

Real peace comes from seeing things as they really are, not as we want them to be.

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

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

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

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

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

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

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

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.

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

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

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.

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

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

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

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

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

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

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

The world is its own magic.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.