Many of Master Sheng Yen’s most cited sayings turn around the theme of practice as something utterly ordinary and thoroughly integrated with daily life. He is remembered, for example, for the simple yet profound line, “Every moment is a chance to practice,” which echoes in related expressions such as, “Walking is also Zen. You can practice Zen anywhere,” and “Walking, standing, sitting, lying down—this is all Chan.” These statements present Chan not as an escape from the world but as a way of inhabiting it more clearly and fully, so that “Chan practice is not escaping from life; it is living life more clearly and more fully.” In the same spirit, he emphasizes that “The purpose of Chan practice is to become a thoroughly ordinary person,” suggesting that spiritual maturity is revealed not in the extraordinary but in the unadorned simplicity of everyday conduct.

Another recurring thread in his teachings is the art of letting go as the basis of inner peace. One of his best-known formulations is, “When you let go a little, you have a little peace. When you let go a lot, you have a lot of peace. When you let go completely, you are completely at peace,” together with the concise statement, “To be able to let go is to be free.” These sayings do not advocate passivity; rather, they point toward a disciplined willingness to release clinging to results, as in, “Do your best, then let go. Do not be attached to results.” In this way, peace is not dependent on changing external conditions but on loosening the grip of attachment within the mind itself.

Master Sheng Yen also speaks with great clarity about the mind as the true arena of practice. He frequently stresses that “The environment is not the problem; the problem is our mind,” and that “Everything is created by the mind. Change your mind and you change your world.” Images such as “The mind is like a mirror; it reflects everything,” and “The mind is like water—when it’s turbulent, you cannot see clearly. When it’s calm, everything becomes clear,” serve to illustrate how clarity arises when agitation settles. From this perspective, sayings like “When your mind does not move, the ten thousand things cannot move you” point to a stability that is not indifference, but a lucid, unmoved awareness in the midst of changing circumstances.

His guidance on suffering and difficulties is equally direct and pragmatic. He encourages practitioners to see that “Suffering comes from attachment, not from circumstances,” and that “Difficulties can be opportunities, not obstacles.” This attitude is crystallized in the instruction, “Facing problems, accepting problems, dealing with problems, and then letting go of problems,” as well as in the simple admonition, “Do not avoid suffering. Face it.” Such teachings invite a courageous and methodical engagement with life’s challenges, grounded in the understanding that “Don’t worry about things you cannot control. Deal with things you can control.” Through this lens, hardship becomes a field for cultivating wisdom and resilience rather than a purely negative experience.

Finally, his sayings on wisdom, compassion, and contentment reveal the ethical and emotional heart of his Chan vision. He notes that “Wisdom without compassion is cold; compassion without wisdom is blind,” indicating that authentic practice requires both clear seeing and a warm concern for others. At the same time, he points toward a life of simplicity and gratitude: “Having less is not suffering; not being content is suffering,” and “A simple life, with a calm mind—that is true wealth.” Together with reminders such as “The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment,” these teachings sketch a path in which inner clarity, ethical sensitivity, and modest living mutually support one another, allowing peace with oneself to become a basis for peace in the world.