Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.

The force of the kindness of others is so strong, we can't possibly measure it.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.

The true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

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.

Just to be alive is enough.

The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with.

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

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

True happiness comes from a sense of inner peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through cultivation of altruism, of love, of compassion.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.

Concentration is a cornerstone of mindfulness practice. Your mindfulness will only be as robust as your capacity to ground your attention in the present moment.

The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.

The difference between being caught in thoughts and being mindful of thoughts is like the difference between being in a movie and watching a movie.

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.

As surely as there is a voyage away, there is a journey home.

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

The development of wisdom requires both study and practice, both learning and direct experience.

The highest mantra is to be without deception. The highest medicine is to have few desires. The highest meditation is not to be attached.

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.

The obstacle is the path.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

The past is gone, the future is not yet here. Live in the present moment with awareness.

The practice of meditation is like tuning an instrument. Too tight, and the strings break. Too loose, and they won't play.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.