The path of practice moves from faith through understanding to direct realization.

The true person is not anyone in particular. But like the deep blue color of the limitless sky, it is everyone, everywhere in the world.

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

True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

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.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.

When you recognize that pain and suffering are impermanent, you become free.

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

As long as our orientation is toward perfection or success, we will never learn about unconditional friendship with ourselves, nor will we find compassion.

Nothing is permanent. Everything is subject to change. Being is always becoming.

Expectations are the thieves of joy.

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

Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment.

The practice of mindfulness transforms the mind from a place of suffering into an instrument of enlightenment.

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

There is no difference at all between samsara and nirvana. There is no difference at all between nirvana and samsara.

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

Neither from itself nor from another, nor from both, nor without a cause, does anything whatever, anywhere arise.

The path to liberation requires both individual effort and the support of the spiritual community.

The one who grasps at existence suffers in samsara, while the one who grasps at non-existence will find no liberation.

The more you understand yourself, the more you understand the world.

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

The most important things in our practice are our physical posture and our way of breathing.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

Our own life has to be our message.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

When you look deeply into your anger, you will see that the person you call your enemy is also suffering. As soon as you see that, the capacity for accepting and having compassion for them is there.