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

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

Only one book is worth reading: the heart.

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

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

It is never too late to turn on the light.

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

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

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

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

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

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

The precious pot containing my riches becomes my teacher in the very moment it breaks.

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 root of happiness is altruism — the wish to be of service to others.

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.

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

The teaching of the Buddha is based on two truths: conventional truth and ultimate truth. Without understanding the relationship between these two, the deeper meaning of the Buddha's teaching cannot be understood.

Meditation is not an escape from reality but a way to understand reality as it truly is.

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

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

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

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

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

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.

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

Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control.

Awareness is always with us. We don't need to create it or achieve it - we just need to recognize what's already there.

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

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught Dhamma - the way to liberation - which is universal.

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

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

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.

The essence of the spiritual journey is the uncovering of what is always already present.

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

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

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

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.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

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

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.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it.

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

Our own life has to be our message.