The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

Understanding at the intellectual level is not enough. There must be experience at the actual level.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

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

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

Face your own anger and you will be free from anger. Face your own fears and you will be free from fear.

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

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

Be happy at the moment, that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.

The path to enlightenment is not a path at all. It is a realization that where you are is where you have always been.

The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy. This is the goal of Buddhist practice.

Altruism is not a luxury, it is a necessity for the survival of humanity.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

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

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

Happiness is not the pursuit of an endless succession of experiences but an attitude toward life.

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

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

The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person joy.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

What we call "I" is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.