Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

Just to be alive is enough.

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

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few.

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

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

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

For whom emptiness is possible, everything is possible. For whom emptiness is not possible, nothing is possible.

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

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

The truth of suffering is not to be feared but to be understood through direct observation.

The mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

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

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

When you generate negativity, you are the first victim of your negativity.

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

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

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

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

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

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

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

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

When you walk in the mist, you get wet.

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

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

Forgiveness is not a moral issue. It's a power issue. When we hold onto grievance and resentment, we are giving our power away.

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

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

The menu is not the meal.

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

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

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

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

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

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

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

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

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

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

Although all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, they function perfectly well.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

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

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

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.

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

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

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

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

We don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to reflect on how our actions affect other people's hearts.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

Wisdom arises when you see the true characteristics of phenomena through direct experience.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

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

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

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