The heart of one who practices is like the earth. No matter what they throw on it, the earth remains unchanged.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

Through understanding emptiness, one does not become proud of one's virtues, just as one does not become proud of building a castle in the sky.

Recognize the emptiness of all phenomena, but do not become attached to emptiness itself.

Our own life has to be our message.

When mindfulness becomes continuous, the distinction between the observer and the observed begins to break down.

Time passes unhindered. When we make ourselves better, we make the world better.

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.

Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.

Concentration develops naturally through continuous noting. Don't try to force concentration to arise.

The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.

The path of insight is a path of discovery, not a path of creation. We are discovering what is already there.

You are the master of your own mind. You can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

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.

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

Meditation is not about getting away from it all. It's about getting into it all.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

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

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

Don't try to push away the darkness. Just light a lamp. The darkness will disappear by itself.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away.

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.