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

Mindfulness means keeping one's consciousness alive to the present reality.

The key to the Buddha's teaching is not grasping, not trying to hold onto things that are essentially impermanent and unstable.

To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things.

Anger or hatred is like a fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it.

The path to liberation is a gradual path of self-discipline, self-development, and self-transformation.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

Meditation is not just about sitting quietly, it's about transforming the mind.

Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

The more clearly you see the arising and passing of phenomena, the less you will be attached to them.

Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement.

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

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

The path is not about perfecting ourselves, but about perfecting our love.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

The only thing that we truly have control over is our attitude toward experience.

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

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

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

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

When you note pain, you should not dwell on the thought, "I feel pain." Simply recognize the presence of pain.

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

The realization of impermanence leads not to despair but to a deeper appreciation of the preciousness of each moment.

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

Mindfulness is attention to life, and life itself is sacred.

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it's about becoming more fully human.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

The object of meditation and the mind which knows it must be noted as they occur. If they are not noted, desire arises and disturbs concentration.

The Noble Eightfold Path is not a path of mere intellectual understanding but a path of practice, of inner transformation.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.