When mindfulness and concentration are strong, insight into the three characteristics naturally unfolds.

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

Buddhist practice is not to eliminate life's problems but to grow with them patiently and with compassion.

The Noble Eightfold Path is a path of training: training in ethical conduct, training in mental discipline, and training in wisdom.

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

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

The practice of vipassana is the study of the self. When you study physical and mental phenomena, you are studying the truth about yourself.

Knowledge must be stabilized by meditation. Without meditation, knowledge is like a child in battle.

In meditation, we're not trying to get rid of thoughts but to recognize their true nature.

My religion is to live and die without regret.

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

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

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

Every thought, every word, and every action leaves an imprint on our mind.

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

The practice of Zen is forgetting the self in the act of uniting with something.

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

There is no need to have a deep understanding of Zen. Even though you read much Zen literature, you must read each sentence with a fresh mind.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point.

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Every moment is a fresh beginning. Every breath is a new chance.

Every moment of confusion is also a moment of wisdom, if we can learn to recognize it.

Every time we become aware of a thought, as opposed to being lost in a thought, we experience that opening of the mind.

Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience.

Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes.

The practice of mindfulness is the practice of being alive in the present moment.

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

The Buddha's teaching is not a philosophical system but a practical guide to living.

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 practice of mindfulness is simply to bring awareness to what we are doing, what we are saying, and what we are thinking.

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

The whole path of mindfulness is about letting go. We let go of our attachment to our views, our attachment to our opinions, our attachment to our ideas.

The practice is like peeling an onion. Layer after layer of delusion is removed through continuous mindfulness.

The practice of mindfulness transforms the mind from a place of suffering into an instrument of enlightenment.

In the monastery of your body, the monk of your mind must stay in retreat.

Sticking with uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

When both body and mind are at peace, all things appear as they are: perfect, complete, lacking nothing.

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

When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways - either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.

My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Meditation is not about achieving anything. It's about letting go of everything.

Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look.

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

The goal of meditation is not to achieve a blank mind, but to gain insight into the nature of mind itself.

People who study a lot but don't practice are like a ladle in a soup pot. It's in the soup every day, but it doesn't know the taste of the soup.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

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

A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.