Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

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

The practice of mindfulness is simple: whatever you experience, you observe and note it.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.

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

When we develop patience, we find that we develop a reserve of calm and tranquility.

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion will break through an unreflecting mind.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

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

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

This very body is the Buddha. And this very earth the lotus paradise.

As a flower that is lovely and beautiful, but is scentless, even so fruitless is the well-spoken word of one who does not practice it.

When we look directly at our thoughts, they dissolve like bubbles in water.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood: all these I do in Zen.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

The experience of emptiness engenders compassion.

All that appears and exists, all of samsara and nirvana, has one ground, two paths, and two results. This is the magical display of awareness and unawareness.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

Impermanence, suffering, and non-self are not philosophical concepts but realities to be directly perceived through mindfulness practice.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities.

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.