The Dhamma is not a collection of doctrinal formulas but a path leading to direct insight into the nature of reality.

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

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

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

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

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

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

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

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

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

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

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.

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

The way we look at the world is the way the world looks.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

The path to liberation is through understanding the true nature of mind and matter through direct observation.

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

When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

The secret of happiness is to want what you already have.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

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

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

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

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.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

The obstacle is the path.

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

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

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

Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

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

The Dhamma unfolds in accordance with a definite sequence: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom, and insight.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery.

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

We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

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