The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophy or a religion; it is a method of practice.

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

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

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

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

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

The defilements of the mind are temporary visitors. Pure awareness is your true home.

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

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

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

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

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

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

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

The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.

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

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

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

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

Not by hatred is hatred conquered, but by love alone. This is an eternal law.

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

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

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

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

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

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

Mindfulness is not just bare attention but wise attention that leads to understanding and insight.

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

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

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

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

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.

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

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

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 you walk in the mist, you get wet.

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

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

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Those who understand interdependent origination understand suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path.

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

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

The heart of the path is quite simple. No need for long explanations. Give up clinging to love and hate, just rest with things as they are.