The root of all suffering is ignorance. The antidote to ignorance is wisdom that realizes emptiness.

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.

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

The victorious ones have said that emptiness is the relinquishing of all views. Those who are possessed of the view of emptiness are said to be incurable.

Compassion is not something we develop. It arises naturally as we see the truth of what is.

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

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

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.

To see the truth, do not be for or against. The struggle between for and against is the mind's worst disease.

The grass is greener where you water it.

To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is.

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

The knowledge of dissolution comes when you see both the noting mind and noted object dissolving together.

The Buddha's teaching is a teaching of self-reliance, of being one's own master, one's own refuge.

The Buddha's path is not about becoming somebody different but about becoming more and more who you really are.

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

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

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.

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

Faith is not a commodity that you either have or don't have - it is an inner quality that unfolds as we learn to trust our own deepest experience.

Mind training is based on the idea that two opposite mental factors cannot happen at the same time.

When you begin to see that your enemy is suffering, that is the beginning of insight.

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

Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

Mindfulness is being aware of what is happening right now, without wishing it were different.

Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived, how well we have loved, how well we have learned to let go.

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

The true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

The best way to solve a problem is to help someone else solve their problem.

True peace is found not in the absence of experience but in the clear seeing of all experience.

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.

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

Understanding means throwing away your knowledge.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

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

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.

Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.

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

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

The nature of mind is clearer than the sky, yet we keep looking elsewhere.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Looking for peace is like looking for a turtle with a mustache: you won't be able to find it. But when your heart is ready, peace will come looking for you.

The key to transformation is not to fight with our experience but to open to it with awareness.

The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that's really swell.

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

If you want to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be miserable, expect something in return.

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

Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past could have been any different.

Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

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

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

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

My religion is to live and die without regret.