The only way to fail at meditation is to stop doing it.

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.

When I run from suffering, it follows me. When I face suffering with equanimity, it runs from me.

The lamp of wisdom burns constantly, illuminating the nature of mind.

Work diligently. Diligently. Work patiently and persistently. Patiently and persistently. And you're bound to be successful. Bound to be successful.

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.

The affairs of the world will go on forever. Do not delay the practice of meditation.

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

When concentration is developed, wisdom arises. When wisdom arises, one becomes disenchanted with the five aggregates.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

Real happiness lies within. It cannot be found in external objects or achievements.

The practice of Dharma is a constant battle within oneself.

Forgiveness is not a moral issue. It's a power issue. When we hold onto grievance and resentment, we are giving our power away.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

Wisdom is not about accumulating knowledge, but about seeing through all knowledge.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

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

Compassion is the radicalism of our time.

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

Appearances are mind, mind itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is spontaneous presence.

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

The state of mind that exists when you sit in the right posture is, itself, enlightenment.

We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.

Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we appreciate each moment of our lives.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

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 mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

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