Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.

The Buddha taught us to leave alone the things that don't lead to awakening.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

Metta (loving-kindness) becomes truly effective only when it arises from a peaceful mind, a pure mind, a balanced mind.

Instead of having a deep understanding of the teaching, we need a strong confidence in our teaching, which says that originally we have Buddha nature.

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

If you see certainty in that which is uncertain, you are bound to suffer.

The color of the mountains is Buddha's body; the sound of running water is his great speech.

When one sees with wisdom that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence, one is liberated from suffering.

The superior person is like water, bringing benefit to all without competing.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.

When we recognize that our thoughts are just thoughts, we can choose whether or not to follow them.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

The contradiction so puzzling to the ordinary way of thinking comes from the fact that we have to use language to communicate our inner experience, which in its very nature transcends linguistics.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

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

Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Observe the reality as it is, not as you wish it to be.

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

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

We need to learn to let our emotions pass through us like waves, without getting caught in their undertow.

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

Every sensation shares the same characteristic - arising, passing. Arising, passing. Learn to observe objectively.

Through violence, you may solve one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.

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