The purpose of Buddhist practice is not to become a Buddhist but to awaken to the nature of reality.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

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

When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.

Whoever told you that practice and enlightenment are separate?

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

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

To be attached to a thing means that mind and the thing meet and grow into each other.

Moment after moment, completely devote yourself to listening to your inner voice.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

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

Buddhas and ordinary beings are not two. Enlightenment and delusion are not different paths.

Love is the wish that others be happy, and compassion is the wish that they be free from suffering.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things.

The spiritual journey begins with the recognition that beneath our surface happiness there lies a deep inner pain.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

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.

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

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind.

The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.

Right practice is steady practice. Whether you feel lazy or diligent, just keep practicing.

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

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life.