The practice of mindfulness transforms the mind from a place of suffering into an instrument of enlightenment.

The basic idea of Zen is to come in touch with the inner workings of our being, and to do this in the most direct way possible, without resorting to anything external or superadded.

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.

The greatest obstacle to meditation is our expectation about what it should be.

Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

To live fully is to let go and die with each step.

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

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are the moments when we touch one another.

Each moment of mindfulness is a moment of purification.

In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

The awareness that you are here, right now, is the ultimate fact.

Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation.

Every moment of mindfulness is a step on the path to liberation. Each step is valuable, no matter how small.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

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

The view is like a lion - it cannot be led around by anything else. Meditation is like an eagle - it cannot be distracted by anything else. Action is like a madman - it is free from accepting and rejecting.

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

The essence of meditation is not something complicated or exotic. It is simply taking a break from our habitual patterns.

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

When thoughts arise, recognize them as the display of your own awareness, like recognizing your own children in a crowd.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The practice of metta begins with oneself, for only when we have developed loving-kindness towards ourselves can we truly offer it to others.