Life is an art, and like perfect art it should be self-forgetting.

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.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

Awareness is the basis, or what you might call the "support," of the mind. It is steady and unchanging, like the pole to which the flag of ordinary consciousness is attached.

To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don't grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float.

The way to change others' minds is with affection, and not anger.

The more we witness our emotional reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.

The purpose of meditation is to gain right understanding of the true nature of mental and physical phenomena.

The Buddha's teaching challenges us to master the art of living, to live in a way that leads to the extinction of suffering.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

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

Devotion is the head of meditation, as is often said. When you are inspired by some spiritual teacher, you can have a very strong connection with that person, and thereby the blessings can enter.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

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.

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 heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

Peace in oneself, peace in the world.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

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

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

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 obstacle is the path.

When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.

Things derive their being and nature by mutual dependence and are nothing in themselves.

By understanding emptiness, one understands all phenomena. Without understanding emptiness, one understands nothing.

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

The nature of mind is like a mirror. It is not affected by whatever appears in it, yet it never fails to reflect everything perfectly.

The water in the ocean can be rough or calm. It can be clear or murky. But the water itself doesn't mind.

Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.