When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

Kindness is the solution to all of life's problems.

Life is like stepping onto a boat which is about to sail out to sea and sink.

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

When you note effectively, there is no time for defilements to arise. The mind becomes pure through noting.

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

The practice of ethics is not about following rules but about developing inner purity and freedom.

The mind is like water. When it's turbulent, it's difficult to see. When it's calm, everything becomes clear.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

All beings by nature are Buddha, as ice by nature is water. Apart from water there is no ice; apart from beings, no Buddha.

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one's own acts, done and undone.

Personal experience is everything in Zen. No ideas are intelligible to those who have no backing of experience.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

The development of insight is gradual, but the realization of truth is sudden.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.

Compassion is not just about being kind to others. It's about being kind to ourselves as well.

When thoughts arise, recognize them as the display of your own awareness, like recognizing your own children in a crowd.

Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.

Problems that remain persistently insoluble should always be suspected as questions asked in the wrong way.

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.

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

If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.