The mind is the root from which all things grow. If you can understand the mind, everything else is included.

The mind creates the abyss, and the heart crosses it.

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

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

In meditation, we are continuously discovering who and what we are.

Sleep is the best meditation.

The practice of meditation is like tuning an instrument. Too tight, and the strings break. Too loose, and they won't play.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

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

The goal is not to be better than the other man, but your previous self.

Our task is to learn to see clearly what is happening in each moment, rather than be lost in our reactions and judgments.

When you are you, Zen is Zen. Big mind is just big mind.

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

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

The essence of bravery is being without self-deception.

The trick is to keep exploring and not bail out, even when we find out that something is not what we thought.

The problem is not the problem; the problem is your attitude about the problem.

The Buddha's teachings are not a religion, but a science of mind.

The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

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

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

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

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.

Dependent origination is not a theory about the origin of the world but a teaching that shows how suffering originates in dependence on our own mental processes.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

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

We need the courage to learn from our experience and the wisdom to be willing to change and grow.

All experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

The rising and falling of the abdomen is not the main object. The main object is to develop mindfulness, concentration, and insight.

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

The cave I live in is empty and so is my mind. I live simply and at ease.

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

Mindfulness is the key to transformation. It enables us to see our experience as it really is, free from distortion and bias.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.

To see directly is to be free of hope and fear. Hope and fear are like a cloud before the sun.

When we develop patience, we find that we develop a reserve of calm and tranquility.

We do not "come into" this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree.

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

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

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

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

Only when you can be extremely pliable and soft can you be extremely hard and strong.

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

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

Your mind is like a garden. Your thoughts are the seeds. You can grow flowers or you can grow weeds.

Real freedom is not about controlling our experience, but about being free within our experience.

We deal with our mind from morning until evening, and it can be our best friend or our worst enemy.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

Appearances are mind, mind itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is spontaneous presence.

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

The greatest obstacle to connecting with our joy is resentment.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

The nature of everything is empty and clear, and the mind is beyond both existence and nonexistence.

Anxiety and excitement are the same emotion. The only difference is our attitude toward the experience.

The more we understand our mind, the more we understand the world.

When you listen to someone, you should give up all your preconceived ideas and your subjective opinions.

Nothing can harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.

Don't try to change the world. First, change yourself.