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

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

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

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

Meditation is not just about sitting quietly, it's about transforming the mind.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

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

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

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.

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

The practice of meditation is like learning to play an instrument - it takes patience, regular practice, and a gentle touch.

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

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

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

The path is not about moving from one place to another. It's about recognizing where we already are.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

The Buddha and all sentient beings are nothing but expressions of the one mind. There is nothing else.

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

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.

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

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

Few among men are they who cross to the further shore. The others merely run up and down the bank on this side.