The sign of wisdom is constant joy.

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

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

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

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.

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

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

The measure of success in spiritual life is how peaceful you are.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

Through continuous mindfulness practice, the true nature of physical and mental phenomena becomes clear.

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

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

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

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.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

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

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

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

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

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

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.

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

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

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

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

The more we understand the nature of our mind, the more we understand the nature of our world.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

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.

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

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

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

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

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

To see directly is to be free of hope and fear. Hope and fear are like a cloud before the sun.

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

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

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

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.

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

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived, how well we have loved, how well we have learned to let go.

The obstacle is the path.

Life is available only in the present moment.

True love is not for the faint-hearted.

Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.

Time passes unhindered. When we make mistakes, we cannot turn the clock back and try again. All we can do is use the present well.

Meditation is like catching a fish. If you try to catch it quickly, you'll miss it. If you have patience and know how to wait, the fish will come.