The future is completely open, and we are writing it moment to moment.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.

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

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

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

The art of living... is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.

The more we understand impermanence, the more we understand that we can't hold on to anything.

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

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

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

Even if you speak of 'understanding,' this understanding is not a matter of knowledge. It is what fills the entire body and mind.

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

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

The way we look at the world is the way the world looks.

Change is the nature of every phenomenon. Accept this truth and you will live a happy life.

All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

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

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

The way to change the world is to change your own mind.

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

For whom emptiness is possible, everything is possible. For whom emptiness is not possible, nothing is possible.

Mindfulness is being aware of what's going on, not trying to control what's going on.

When we understand others, we understand ourselves. When we love others, we love ourselves.

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.

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

The farther you enter into truth, the deeper it is.

Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.

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

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

Ethical conduct is not a constraint upon our freedom but a condition of our freedom.

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

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

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

The essence of Buddhism is not a belief system but a systematic investigation of our experience.

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.

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

Faith is the firm foundation, diligence the supporting pillar, and wisdom the roof of the house of practice.

Misery ceases to exist when we stop reacting to sensations.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

External seeking only leads to exhaustion. When you imitate others, you lose your own authenticity.

There is no way to happiness - happiness is the way.

True freedom is not the absence of commitment but the presence of choice.

Study the Buddha's teaching which is present in every moment.

The Buddha taught that wealth does not bring happiness and security. The pursuit of wealth is a matter of living in balance.

Life is glorious, but life is also wretched. It is both. Appreciating the gloriousness inspires us, encourages us, cheers us up, gives us a bigger perspective, energizes us. We feel connected. But if that's all that's happening, we get arrogant and start to look down on others, and there is a sense of making ourselves a big deal and being really serious about it, wanting it to be like that forever. The gloriousness becomes tinged by craving and addiction. On the other hand, wretchedness--life's painful aspect--softens us up considerably. Knowing pain is a very important ingredient of being there for another person.

To live is enough.

Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment.

The goal of Buddhist practice is not to escape from the world but to transform our relationship with it.

The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

The goal of meditation is not to reach some highest place, but to remain in the place where you already are.

Life is available only in the present moment.

When you love someone, you have to have trust and confidence. Love without trust is not yet love.

The path of practice requires both faith and wisdom, both devotion and understanding.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

Suffering comes from our resistance to what is. Peace comes from our acceptance of what is.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.