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

In the spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon; in the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter, snow will accompany you. If useless things do not hang in your mind, any season is a good season for you.

The moment you note a thought, it disappears. The noting mind keeps the hindrances away.

The only way to experience truth is to look within, to observe oneself.

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

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

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

Wisdom and compassion must be developed equally and harmoniously.

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.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

The first noble truth of the Buddha is that life contains suffering. The second noble truth is that the cause of suffering is craving.

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. 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.

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

To what shall I compare this life? It is like a boat that left at dawn, leaving no trace.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

In Zen there must be satori; there must be a general mental upheaval which destroys the old accumulations of intellection and lays down the foundation for a new life.

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.