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

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

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.

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

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

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

The deepest form of happiness comes from discovering the natural peace of our own awareness.

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

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.

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

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

Compassion is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength.

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

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.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

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

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

The key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion.

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

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

The purpose of meditation is not to create a new state of mind, but to recognize what is already present.

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

When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help.

Just to be alive is enough.

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

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

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

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

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

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

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

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

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.

The past is just a memory. The future is just a dream. Be here now.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

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.

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

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

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.