The ocean does not reject any water; therefore it is great. The mountain does not select its stones; therefore it is great.

The five aggregates are not a theoretical model but a description of lived experience to be investigated through mindfulness.

A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure.

Sankharas are the seeds of consciousness that manifest as sensations. By observing sensations equanimously, we stop creating new sankharas.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

Silence is so much more productive of wisdom and clarity than thinking.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

The nature of life is change. The nature of change is painful. The nature of pain is temporary.

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

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

The root of suffering is attachment.

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

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

Enlightenment is not about becoming something special, but about realizing what we already are.

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

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.

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

The highest truth cannot be taught except through the conventional truth.

The practice of mindfulness leads naturally to concentration. Concentration leads naturally to wisdom.

Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.

The goal of the Buddhist path is not to add something to our existence but to discover something that has been there all along.

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

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Enlightenment is not a state of perfection but of authenticity.

Sensations are not your enemy. They are your teacher. Through observing them, you understand the truth of existence.

The everyday practice is simply to develop complete acceptance and openness to all situations and emotions.

If I had any position, I would thereby have a flaw. But since I have no position, I alone am without flaw.

The grass is greener where you water it.

The mind is intrinsically empty. It's empty of all that we perceive as being intrinsically "me" and "mine."

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

The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

Since all things are empty of inherent existence, anything is possible. If things had inherent existence, nothing would be possible.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

The stages of insight unfold naturally when mindfulness is continuous. There is no need to desire them or try to make them happen.

Mindfulness is the key to the present moment. Without it we cannot see the world clearly, and we cannot make the wisest choices in our lives.

Real happiness comes from having an unshakable connection to the deep wellspring of peace and happiness that is not dependent on external conditions.

In the moment of pure noting, there is no self - only the knowing and the known.

If it isn't good, let it die. If it doesn't die, make it good.

Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.

Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.

Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.

Every experience is an opportunity to practice awareness.

Better to have one moment of genuine meditation than to perform religious activities for a thousand years.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

The mind itself is the maker of all happiness and misery; yet beings do not understand this and blame external conditions.

Vipassana is the art of living. Not the art of escaping.

To live is enough.

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

The mind that sees its own nature becomes free from all extremes.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

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

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, but wanting what you've got.

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

The nature of everything is illusory and ephemeral, those with dualistic perception regard suffering as happiness, like they who lick the honey from a razor's edge.

The purpose of life is to be happy, to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is not to be well known, cited, or powerful.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.