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

Enlightenment is not the end of change but the end of resistance to change.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

The mind of the past is ungraspable; the mind of the future is ungraspable; the mind of the present is ungraspable.

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

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

The law of nature is the law of cause and effect. As you sow, so shall you reap.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.

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

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

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

The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

Start from where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

Hope and fear come from feeling that we lack something; they come from a sense of poverty. We can't simply relax with ourselves. We hold on to hope, and hope robs us of the present moment.

The truth of Zen is the truth of life, and life means to live, to move, to act, not merely to reflect.

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

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

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

Feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we're holding back.

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.