In meditation, we're not trying to get rid of thoughts but to recognize their true nature.

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

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

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

The essence of all phenomena is empty and clear like space. The nature of mind is awareness-emptiness like the sun and sky.

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

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is often said. When you are inspired by some spiritual teacher, you can have a very strong connection with that person, and thereby the blessings can enter.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

Every step on the path must be with the understanding of anicca - impermanence. This is the essence of the teaching.

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

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

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

Better to have one moment of genuine meditation than to perform religious activities for a thousand years.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

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

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.

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

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

In Zen there must be satori; there must be a general mental upheaval which destroys the old accumulations of intellection and lays down the foundation for a new life.

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

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy.

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

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

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

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

In the moment of anger, abandon anger but not the person. In the moment of attachment, abandon attachment but not the person.

The root of suffering is attachment.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.