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

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

We can learn to be present with whatever is happening in our lives, and in this way, we can begin to transform our relationship to difficulty.

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

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 you are you, Zen is Zen. Big mind is just big mind.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

Intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, just as ice and water are of the same substance.

The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartedness. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

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

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced state of mind.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

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

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

The yogi's joy is in the solitude of mountains, where all distractions naturally dissolve into emptiness.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

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

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 key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

Panic, anxiety, and stress are not obstacles to the practice. They are the path to wisdom and compassion.

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

Nothing can harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals.

When you understand one thing through and through, you understand everything. When you try to understand everything, you will not understand anything.

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

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

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.