A View on Buddhism

BUDDHIST QUOTES AND SAYINGS This is a small selection of my favorite Buddhist quotes. For a much larger collection, sorted by subject, see the Buddhist Quotes section. Just as the highest and the lowest notes are equally inaudible, so perhaps, is the greatest sense and the greatest nonsense equally unintelligible.

Allan Watts Renunciation is not getting rid of the things of this world, but accepting that they pass away.

Aitken Roshi The greatest achievement is selflessness.

The greatest worth is self-mastery.

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.

The greatest precept is continual awareness.

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.

The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.

The greatest generosity is non-attachment.

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.

The greatest patience is humility.

The greatest effort is not concerned with results.

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Atisha In criticizing, the teacher is hoping to teach. That's all.

Bankei The true meaning of the precepts is not just that one should refrain from drinking alcohol,

but also from getting drunk on nirvana.

Bassui Bodhidharma All know the Way, but few actually walk it. If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher

you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.

If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you'll understand. Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience.

It isn't more complicated that that.

It is opening to or recieving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is,

without either clinging to it or rejecting it.

Sylvia Boorstein How does this effect my Buddhist practice?

It doesn't.

These reported events are like an arrow shot at my heart but it lands at my feet.

I choose not to bend over, pick it up, and stab myself with it.

From an online discussion group -forgot to note the writer Our modern Western culture only recognises the first of these, freedom of desires. It then worships such a freedom by enshrining it at the forefront of national constituitions and bills of human rights. One can say that the underlying creed of most Western democracies is to protect their people's freedom to realise their desires, as far as this is possible. It is remarkable that in such countries people do not feel very free. The second kind of freedom, freedom from desires, is celebrated only in some religious communities. It celebrates contentment, peace that is free from desires.

Ajahn Brahm (Opening the Door of Your Heart) If only I could throw away the urge to trace my patterns in your heart, I could really see you.

David Brandon (Zen in the Art of Helping) Buddhist Sayings Do not speak- unless it improves on silence. You can explore the universe looking for somebody who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself,

and you will not find that person anywhere.

The Buddha Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much

as your own unguarded thoughts.

Develop the mind of equilibrium.

You will always be getting praise and blame,

but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:

follow the calmness, the absence of pride.

Sutta Nipata One day Ananda, who had been thinking deeply about things for a while, turned to the Buddha and exclaimed:

"Lord, I've been thinking- spiritual friendship is at least half of the spiritual life!"

The Buddha replied: "Say not so, Ananda, say not so. Spiritual friendship is the whole of the spiritual life!"

Samyutta Nikaya, Verse 2 In what is seen, there should be just the seen;

In what is heard, there should be just the heard;

In what is sensed, there should be just the sensed;

In what is thought, there should be just the thought.

He should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should he incite another to kill.

Do not injure any being, either strong or weak in the world.

Sutta Nipata II,14 These teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood.

Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings,

How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!

Conquer the angry man by love.

Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness.

Conquer the miser with generosity.

Conquer the liar with truth.

The Dhammapada In Aryans' Discipline, to build a friendship is to build wealth,

To maintain a friendship is to maintain wealth and

To end a friendship is to end wealth.

Cakkavatti Sutta, Patika Vagga, Dighanikaya "If beings knew, as I know, the results of sharing gifts, they would not enjoy their gifts without sharing them with others, nor would the taint of stinginess obsess the heart and stay there. even if it were their last and final bit of food, they would not enjoy its use without sharing it, if there were anyone to receive it"

Itivuttaka 18 One should follow a man of wisdom who rebukes one for one's faults, as one would follow a guide to some buried treasure.

To one who follows such a wise man, it will be an advantage and not a disadvantage.

Dhammapada 76 A brahmin once asked The Blessed One:

"Are you a God?"

"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.

"Are you a saint?"

"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.

"Are you a magician?"

"No, brahmin" said The Blessed One.

"What are you then?"

"I am awake." See the truth, and you will see me. Let your love flow outward through the universe,

To its height, its depth, its broad extent,

A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

Then as you stand or walk,

Sit or lie down,

As long as you are awake,

Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;

Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Sutta Nipata Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared. I teach one thing and one only:

that is, suffering and the end of suffering. Just as a mother would protect with her life her own son, her only son,

so one should cultivate an unbounded mind towards all beings, and loving-kindness towards all the world.

One should cultivate an unbounded mind, above and below and across, without obstruction, without enmity, without rivalry.

Standing, or going, or seated, or lying down, as long as one is free from drowsiness, one should practice this mindfulness.

This, they say, is the holy state here.

Sutta Nipata What is this world condition?

Body is the world condition.

And with body and form goes feeling, perception, consciousness, and all the activities throughout the world.

The arising of form and the ceasing of form--everything that has been heard, sensed, and known, sought after and reached by the mind--all this is the embodied world, to be penetrated and realized.

Samyutta Nikaya Make an island of yourself,

make yourself your refuge;

there is no other refuge.

Make truth your island,

make truth your refuge;

there is no other refuge.

Digha Nikaya, 16 Solitude is happiness for one who is content, who has heard the Dhamma and clearly sees.

Non-affliction is happiness in the world - harmlessness towards all living beings.

Udana 10 The fool thinks he has won a battle when he bullies with harsh speech,

but knowing how to be forbearing alone makes one victorious.

Samyutta Nikaya I, 163



Things are not what they appear to be: nor are they otherwise.

Surangama Sutra Do not pursue the past.

Do not lose yourself in the future.

The past no longer is.

The future has not yet come.

Looking deeply at life as it is.

In the very here and now, the practitioner dwells in stability and freedom.

We must be diligent today.

To wait until tomorrow is too late.

Death comes unexpectedly.

How can we bargain with it?

The sage calls a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night and day,

'one who knows the better way to live alone.'

Bhaddekaratta Sutta Ajhan Chah Do not try to become anything.

Do not make yourself into anything.

Do not be a meditator.

Do not become enlightened.

When you sit, let it be.

What you walk, let it be.

Grasp at nothing.

Resist nothing. If you haven't wept deeply, you haven't begun to meditate. The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.

Pema Chodron Venerable Cheng Yen

Our inability to stand someone results from our lack of cultivation. Having a wider heart and mind is more important than having a larger house. Happiness does not come from having much, but from being attached to little. Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveler passing through. your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown.

None can live without toil and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed. But if you toil without rest, fatigue and wearness will overtake you, and you will denied the joy that comes from labour's end.

Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or advice. If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others say, and you should know that there are few so wise that they cannot learn from others.

Be near when help is needed, but far when praise and thanks are being offered.

Take small account of might, wealth and fame, for they soon pass and are forgotten. Instead, nurture love within you and and strive to be a friend to all. Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.

Treasure silence when you find it, and while being mindful of your duties, set time aside, to be alone with yourself.

Cast off pretense and self-deception and see yourself as you really are.

Despite all appearances, no one is really evil. They are led astray by ignorance. If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light, rather then blame and condemnation.

You, no less than all beings have Buddha Nature within. Your essential Mind is pure. Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall, let not remose nor dark foreboding cast you down. Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.

Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright. Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkness will yield and you will abide in the Light. Dhammavadaka H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something,

and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent. Through violence, you may 'solve' one problem, but you sow the seeds for another. One has to try to develop one's inner feelings, which can be done simply by training one's mind.

This is a priceless human asset and one you don't have to pay income tax on! First one must change.

I first watch myself, check myself, then expect changes from others. Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.

Without them, humanity cannot survive. I myself feel, and also tell other Buddhists that the question of Nirvana will come later.

There is not much hurry.

If in day to day life you lead a good life, honesty, with love,

with compassion, with less selfishness,

then automatically it will lead to Nirvana. The universe that we inhabit and our shared perception of it are the results of a common karma. Likewise, the places that we will experience in future rebirths will be the outcome of the karma that we share with the other beings living there. The actions of each of us, human or nonhuman, have contributed to the world in which we live. We all have a common responsibility for our world and are connected with everything in it. If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue. It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others. When ever Buddhism has taken root in a new land, there has been a certain variation in the style in which it is observed. The Buddha himself taught differently according to the place, the occasion and the situation of those who were listening to him. Samsara-our conditioned existence in the perpetual cycle of habitual tendencies and nirvana - genuine freedom from such an existence- are nothing but different manifestations of a basic continuum. So this continuity of consciousness us always present. This is the meaning of tantra. According to Buddhist practice, there are three stages or steps. The initial stage is to reduce attachment towards life.

The second stage is the elimination of desire and attachment to this samsara. Then in the third stage, self-cherishing is eliminated In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together. The creatures that inhabit this earth-be they human beings or animals-are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world. To develop genuine devotion, you must know the meaning of teachings. The main emphasis in Buddhism is to transform the mind, and this transformation depends upon meditation. in order to meditate correctly, you must have knowledge. Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned. The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis. From one point of view we can say that we have human bodies and are practicing the Buddha's teachings and are thus much better than insects. But we can also say that insects are innocent and free from guile, where as we often lie and misrepresent ourselves in devious ways in order to achieve our ends or better ourselves. From this perspective, we are much worse than insects. When the days become longer and there is more sunshine, the grass becomes fresh and, consequently, we feel very happy. On the other hand, in autumn, one leaf falls down and another leaf falls down. The beautiful plants become as if dead and we do not feel very happy. Why? I think it is because deep down our human nature likes construction, and does not like destruction. Naturally, every action which is destructive is against human nature. Constructiveness is the human way. Therefore, I think that in terms of basic human feeling, violence is not good. Non-violence is the only way. We humans have existed in our present form for about a hundred thousand years. I believe that if during this time the human mind had been primarily controlled by anger and hatred, our overall population would have decreased. But today, despite all our wars, we find that the human population is greater than ever. This clearly indicates to me that love and compassion predominate in the world. And this is why unpleasant events are "news"; compassionate activities are so much a part of daily life that they are taken for granted and , therefore, largely ignored. The fundamental philosophical principle of Buddhism is that all our suffering comes about as a result of an undisciplined mind, and this untamed mind itself comes about because of ignorance and negative emotions. For the Buddhist practitioner then, regardless of whether he or she follows the approach of the Fundamental Vehicle, Mahayana or Vajrayana, negative emotions are always the true enemy, a factor that has to be overcome and eliminated. And it is only by applying methods for training the mind that these negative emotions can be dispelled and eliminated. This is why in Buddhist writings and teachings we find such an extensive explanation of the mind and its different processes and functions. Since these negative emotions are states of mind, the method or technique for overcoming them must be developed from within. There is no alternative. They cannot be

removed by some external technique, like a surgical operation."

from 'Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection' So, the tendency of our childish nature is to take small things too seriously and get easily offended, whereas when we are confronted with situations which have long-term consequences, we tend to take things less seriously



Encountering sufferings will definitely contribute to the elevation of your spiritual practice, provided you are able to transform calamity and misfortune into the path. The purpose of all the major religious traditions is not to construct big temples on the outside, but to create temples of goodness and compassion inside, in our hearts. War is out of date, obsolete. {Here is a special Dalai Lama quotes page.} The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done,

we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change.

So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger,

but in wisdom, understanding and love.

Jennifer Edwards View all problems as challenges.

Look upon negativities that arise as opportunities to learn and to grow.

Don't run from them, condemn yourself, or bury your burden in saintly silence.

You have a problem? Great.

More grist for the mill. Rejoice, dive in, and investigate.

Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English" Humans prepare for the future all their lives, yet meet the next life totally unprepared.

Drakpa Gyaltsen To deny the reality of things is to miss their reality;

to assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality.

The more you talk and think about it, the further astray you wander from the truth.

Stop talking and thinking and there is nothing you will not be able to know.

Hsin Hsin Ming Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes, it obstructs your vision.

Hsi-Tang Master Hsuan Hua When one does what Buddhas do, one is a Buddha.

When one does what Bodhisattvas do, one is a Bodhisattva.

When one does what Arhats do, one is an Arhat.

When one does what ghosts do, one is a ghost.

These are all natural phenomena.

There are no shortcuts in cultivation.

If you wish others to know about your good deeds,

they are not truly good deeds.

If you fear others will find out about your bad deeds,

those are truly bad deeds. Our lives are based on what is reasonable and common sense;

Truth is apt to be neither.

Christmas Humphreys Birth and Death is a grave event;

How transient is life!

Every minute is to be grasped.

Time waits for nobody.

Inscription on a Zen Gong We could become quite satisfied with ourselves because we are sitting in meditation and are endeavoring to practice the spiritual path. Such satisfaction with ourselves is not the same as contentment. Contentment is necessary, self-satisfaction is detrimental. To be content has to include knowing we are in the right place at the right time to facilitate our own growth. But to be self-satisfied means that we no longer realize the need for growth. All these aspects are important parts of our commitment and makes us into one whole being with a one-pointed direction.

Ayya Khema Half the spiritual life consists of remembering what we are up against and where we are going.

Ayya Khema, "When the Iron Eagle Flies" ... And the other half is taking complete personal responsibility for getting there!

Joshua Bryer If you live the sacred and despise the ordinary,

you are still bobbing in the ocean of delusion.

Zen Master Lin-Chi Since everything is but an apparition, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.

Longchenpa Milarepa My religion is to live and die without regret. Know emptiness,

Be compassionate. Strong and healthy, who thinks of sickness until it strikes like lightning?

Preoccupied with the world, who thinks of death, until it arrives like thunder? All meditation must begin with arousing deep compassion.

Whatever one does must emerge from an attitude of love and benefitting others. 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. Knowing this, one should, from the very first, renounce acquisitions and storing-up, and building, and meeting; and, faithful to the commands of an eminent Guru, set about realizing the Truth. That alone is the best of religious observances.

Nagarjuna The Buddha taught some people the teachings of duality that help them avoid sin and acquire spiritual merit.

To others he taught non-duality, that some find profoundly frightening. Even offering three hundred bowls of food three times a day does not match the spiritual merit gained in one moment of love. All philosophies are mental fabrications.

There has never been a single doctrine by which one could enter the true essence of things. By amending our mistakes, we get wisdom.

By defending our faults, we betray an unsound mind.

The Sutra of Hui Neng After a few years of meditation practice we can even learn how to occasionally ignore ourselves. And what relief that can be!

Wes Nisker One day I complained to Suzuki Roshi about the people I was working with.

He listened intently.

Finally he said, "If you want to see virtue, you have to have a calm mind."

"To Shine One Corner of the World: Moments with Shuryu Suzuki" (Edited by David Chadwick) Stonepeace What you eat cannot purify your mind - but is there greed behind your choice of eating?

If yes, the mind that eats is not pure - be your choice vegetarian or not. I think it is time to face yourself again.

Then again, it is always time. Truth is only as real as our delusion allows.

(slightly edited) If an untrained sentient being can create Real Hell out of Total Ignorance,

why can't a perfect Buddha create a Real Pureland out of Total Compassion?

(slightly edited)

In fact, everything we encounter in this world with our six senses is an inkblot test.

You see what you are thinking and feeling, seldom what you are looking at.

Shiqin

One torch can dissipate the accumulated darkness of a thousand aeons.

Tilopa Thich Nhat Hanh If we are not empty, we become a block of matter.

We cannot breathe, we cannot think.

To be empty means to be alive, to breathe in and to breathe out.

We cannot be alive if we are not empty.

Emptiness is impermanence, it is change.

We should not complain about impermanence,

because without impermanence, nothing is possible. Through your love for each other, through learning the art of making one person happy,

you learn to express your love for the whole of humanity and all beings.

Please help us develop the curriculum for the Institute for the Happiness of One Person.

Don't wait until we open the school.

You can begin practicing right away. If you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything. "At the moment of waking up,

before getting out of bed,

get in touch with your breath,

feel the various sensations in your body,

note any thoughts and feeling that maybe present,

let mindfulness touch this moment,

Can you feel your breath?

Can you perceive the dawning of each in breath?

Can you enjoy the feeling of the breath freely

entering your body in this moment?

Breathe in I smile,

breathe out I calm my body,

dwelling in the present moment,

it is a wonderful moment. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything. When a child presents himself to you with his smile, if you are not really there - thinking about the future or the past, or preoccupied with other problems - then the child is not really there for you. The technique of being alive is to go back to yourself in order for the child to appear like a marvellous reality. Then you can see him smile and you can embrace him in your arms. Meditation is not to escape from society,

but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on.

Once there is seeing, there must be acting.

With mindfulness, we know what to do and what not to do to help. People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong.

Why not try and see positive things,

to just touch those things and make them bloom? Reconciliation is to understand both sides;

to go to one side and describe the suffering being endured by the other side,

and then go to the other side and describe the suffering being endured by the first side.

Anything that is created must sooner or later die.

Enlightenment is permanent because we have not produced it; we have merely discovered it.

Chogyam Trungpa Shantideva Through the power of habit I have come to view an insignificant sperm and egg as myself. Others are my main concern.

When I notice something of mine,

I steal it and give it to others. All happiness comes from the desire for others to be happy.

All misery comes from the desire for oneself to be happy. While others are engaged in inferior and menial tasks

in which they encounter many difficulties,

how can I sit here at peace and do nothing?

I must and shall benefit them,

but without ever succumbing to the poison of self-importance.

Bodhicaryavatara "Unruly beings are as unlimited as space

They cannot possibly all be overcome,

But if I overcome thoughts of anger alone

This will be equivalent to vanquishing all foes. Where would I possibly find enough leather

With which to cover the surface of the earth?

But (wearing) leather just on the soles of my shoes

Is equivalent to covering the earth with it. Likewise it is not possible for me

To restrain the external course of things;

But should I restrain this mind of mine

What would be the need to restrain all else?" Like it or not, if you look at your own mind you will discover it is void and groundless; as insubstantial as empty space.

Padma Sambhava The foolish are trapped by karma, while the wise are liberated through karma.

Stonepeace Suttas are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. One should read them, listen to them, think about them, contemplate them, and investigate the present reality, the present experience with them. Then, and only then, can one insightfully know the truth beyond words.

Venerable Sumedho Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them.

Alan Watts Lama Yeshe It is never too late.

Even if you are going to die tomorrow,

Keep yourself straight and clear and be a happy human being today.

If you keep your situation happy day by day,

you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of Enlightenment. If your spiritual practice and the demands of your everyday life are not in harmony, it means there's something wrong with the way you are practicing.

Your practice should satisfy your dissatisfied mind while providing solutions to the problems of everyday life.

If it doesn't, check carefully to see what you really understand about your religious practice. Religion is not just some dry intellectual idea but rather your basic philosophy of life: you hear a teaching that makes sense to you, find through experience that it relates positively with your psychological makeup, get a real taste of it through practice, and adopt it as your spiritual path.

That's the right way to enter the spiritual path. When Lord Buddha spoke about suffering, he wasn't referring simply to superficial problems like illness and injury, but to the fact that the dissatisfied nature of the mind itself is suffering. No matter how much of something you get, it never satisfies your desire for better or more. This unceasing desire is suffering; its nature is emotional frustration. Be gentle first with yourself - if you wish to be gentle with others. We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God.

Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure.

We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release.

To be angry is to let others' mistakes punish yourself.

To forgive others is to be good to yourself.

Master ChengYen What is it that binds you?

You are not bound by any chains now.

Is it just the thought that you are bound that binds you?

Mental chains can only be broken by mental effort.

Zed (slightly edited) The only reason why we are still here is because we believe there is a reason to be here.

So why are we still swimming in the sea of samsara?

Zeph Lama Zopa Rinpoche If you know the psychological nature of your own mind, depression is spontaneously dispelled;

instead of being enemies and strangers, all living beings become your friends.

The narrow mind rejects; wisdom accepts.

Check your own mind to see whether or not this is true. It is great that even before we become enlightened or generate any lam-rim realizations we are able to offer incredible benefit to others. The person who does this is a very fortunate person and should rejoice very often.



By renouncing samsara, we renounce our habitual grasping, unhappy minds.

And by renouncing samsara, we embrace our potential for enlightenment. When it is impossible for anger to arise within you, you find no outside enemies anywhere.

An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside. When there is hallucination, there is the truth, by recognising it as hallucination.

Where there is suffering, there is peace and bliss, by letting go and experiencing it for numberless suffering sentient beings.

Always think of how others are kind and precious Treat them as you would like to be treated. A sick body with a good heart is more beneficial to future lives than a fit, healthy body that is used for self-cherishing. If one does not remember death, one does not remember Dharma. When?

At this time, while you have all the opportunities, if you do not do your best to achieve the pure, stainless path to enlightenment when will you do it?

If you don't meditate, don't practise the graduated path to enlightenment, especially bodhicitta, in this life, then when?

When will you practise? When will you have this realization?

If, in this life, you don't achieve renunciation, bodhicitta and sunyata, as well as the two stages of tantra, when will you?

When will you have these attainments?

When will you become enlightened?

When will you perform perfect work for sentient beings? Whenever you hear that someone else has been successful, rejoice.

Always practice rejoicing for others--whether your friend or your enemy.

If you cannot practice rejoicing, no matter how long you live, you will not be happy. LINKS Do have a look at the Dhamapada, it actually forms a traditional collection of quotes from the Buddha.

More excellent quotes can be found at Taeger's site. Previous Page | ^Top of Page | Next Page - Wisdom Quotes