WednesdaySep 23, 2026
Quotes: 53419 Authors: 9969
Do not cherish the unworthy desire that the changeable might become the unchanging.
Through zeal, knowledge is gotten, through lack of zeal, knowledge is lost; let a man who knows this double path of gain and loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow.
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
If a viper lives in your room and you wish to have a peaceful sleep, you must first chase it out.
When one is overcome by this wretched, clinging desire in the world, one's sorrows increase like grass growing up after a lot of rain.
There is no satisfying the senses, not even with a shower of money. The senses are of slight pleasure and really suffering. When a wise man has realized this, he takes no pleasure, as a disciple of the Buddhas, even in the pleasures of heaven. Instead he takes pleasure in the elimination of craving.
Hunger (for things) is the supreme disease.
From craving arises sorrow, from craving arises fear, but he who is freed from craving has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
Though through all his life a fool associates with a wise man, he yet understands not the Dharma, as the spoon, the flavor of soup.
When Shakyamuni Buddha was at Mount Grdhrakuta, he held up a flower to his listeners. Everyone was silent. Only Mahakashyapa broke into a broad smile. The Buddha said, 'I have the True Dharma Eye, the Marvelous Mind of Nirvana, the True Form of the Formless, and the Subtle Dharma Gate, independent of words and transmitted beyond doctrine. This I have entrusted to Mahakashyapa.'
To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.
We are what we think. All that we are arises With our thoughts. With our thoughts, We make our world.
Just as the bee takes the nectar and leaves without damaging the color or scent of the flowers, so should the sage act in a village.
Of all footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditations, that on death is supreme.
Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.
Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee.
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
Paraphrased: Guatamas disciples, whose recollection is always established day and night on the Buddha, experience a complete awakening.
He whose longing has been aroused for the indescribable, whose mind has been quickened by it, and whose thought is not attached to sensuality is truly called one who is bound upstream.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then Blaise them to be true.
There is no fire like passion, there is no shark like hatred, there is no snare like folly, there is no torrent like greed.
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
One act of pure love in saving life is greater than spending the whole of one's time in religious offerings to the gods ...
He who, seeking his own happiness, punishes or kills beings who also long for happiness, will not find happiness after his death.
Let go the past, let go the future, and let go what is in between, transcending the things of time. With your mind free in every direction, you will not return to birth and aging.
Inflowing thoughts come to an end in those who are ever alert of mind, training themselves night and day, and ever intent on nirvana.
I have passed in ignorance through a cycle of many rebirths, seeking the builder of the house. Continuous rebirth is a painful thing. But now, housebuilder, I have found you out. You will not build me a house again. All your rafters are broken, your ridge-pole shattered. My mind is free from active thought, and has made an end of craving.
Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge. Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves. And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the Truth as their lamp, and holding fast to the Truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.
Because he has pity on every living creature, therefore is a man called 'holy'.
When a man has pity on all living creatures then only is he noble.
Joyful is the accumulation of good work.
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love, this is the eternal rule.
When we feel happy and peaceful, our happiness and peace radiates around us, and others can enjoy it as well. This is called 'the enjoyment of others of our body of bliss'.
A kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit.
Full of love for all things in the world, practicing virtue, in order to benefit others, this man alone is happy.
By whomever no evil is done in deed, or word, or thought, him I call a Brahmin who is guarded in these three.
Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.
The Tempter masters the lazy and irresolute man who dwells on the attractive side of things, ungoverned in his senses, and unrestrained in his food, like the wind overcomes a rotten tree. But the Tempter cannot master a man who dwells on the distasteful side of things, self-controlled in his senses, moderate in eating, resolute and full of faith, like the wind cannot move a mountain crag.
Never have anything to do with likes and dislikes. The absence of what one likes is painful, as is the presence of what one dislikes. Therefore don't take a liking to anything. To lose what one likes is hard, but there are no bonds for those who have no likes and dislikes. From preference arises sorrow, from preference arises fear, but he who is freed from preference has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
Like a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not moved by praise or blame.
It is good to have companions when occasion arises, and it is good to be contented with whatever comes.
A victor only breeds hatred, while a defeated man lives in misery, but a man at peace within lives happily, abandoning up ideas of victory and defeat.
A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.
(Paraphrased: The real brahmin is the one who:) ... has crossed beyond duality ... (373) ...knows no this shore, other shore, or both (385) ...(is) settled in mind ... without inflowing thoughts (386) ...is without attachment (396) ...endures undisturbed criticism, ill-treatment and bonds, (and is) strong in patience(399) ...(is) without anger, devout, upright, free from craving, disciplined and in his last body (400) ...has experienced the end of his suffering here in this life, who has set down the burden, freed! (402) (snippets from verses 373-402)
Freed by full realization and at peace, the mind of such a man is at peace, and his speech and action peaceful. He has no need for faith who knows the uncreated, who has cut off rebirth, who has destroyed any opportunity for good or evil, and cast away all desire. He is indeed the ultimate man.
Believe nothing merely because you have been told it.... Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.
Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.
Delusions, errors and lies are like huge, gaudy vessels, the rafters of which are rotten and worm-eaten, and those who embark in them are fated to be shipwrecked.
Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.
A fool acquires knowledge only to his own disadvantage. It destroys what good he has, and turns his brains.
One may desire a spurious respect and precedence among one's fellow monks, and the veneration of outsiders. 'Both monks and laity should think it was my doing. They should accept my authority in all matters great or small.' This is a fool's way of thinking. His self-seeking and conceit just increase. One way leads to acquisition, the other leads to nirvana. Realizing this a monk, as a disciple of the Buddha, should take no pleasure in the respect of others, but should devote himself to solitude.
... give up pride....
When a man venerates those worthy of veneration, be they Buddhas or their disciples, who have transcended all obstacles and passed beyond sorrow and tears venerating such as these, whose passions are extinguished and for whom there is no further source for fear, no one can calculate how great his merit is.
Those ... who find delight in freedom from attachment in the renunciation of clinging, free from the inflow of thoughts, they are like shining lights, having reached final liberation in the world.
The wise say that it is not an iron, wooden or fiber fetter which is a strong one, but the besotted hankering after trinkets, children and wives, that, say the wise, is the strong fetter. It drags one down, and loose as it feels, it is hard to break. Breaking this fetter, people renounce the world, free from longing and abandoning sensuality.
The good renounce everything. The pure don't babble about sensual desires. Whether touched by pleasure or pain, the wise show no change of temper.
Suffering does not befall him who is without attachment to names and forms....
Dispassion is the best of mental states....
Cut down the forest, not just a tree. Out of the forest of desire springs danger. By cutting down both the forest of desire and the brushwood of longing, be rid of the forest (pun on the word 'nirvana'), bhikkhus.
But when one masters this wretched desire, which is so hard to overcome, then one's sorrows just drop off, like a drop of water off a lotus.
Like a beautiful flower that is colorful but has no fragrance, even well spoken words bear no fruit in one who does not put them into practice.
Let a man avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison.
Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates happiness and sorrow, a good deal and a bad deed, one is able to realize freedom.
If you find your mind tempted and entangled in greed, you must suppress the greed and control the temptation; Be the master of your own mind.
If people become accustomed to lying, they will unconsciously commit every possible wrong deed. Before they can act wickedly they must lie, and once they begin to lie they will act wickedly with unconcern.
The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.
If one is the master of oneself, one is the resort one can depend on; therefore, one should control oneself of all.
Do not become attached to the things you like, do not cherish aversion to the things you dislike. Sorrow, fear and bondage come from one's likes and dislikes.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
It is a man's own mind - not his enemy or his foe that lures him into evil ways.
If a man's mind becomes pure, his surroundings will also Become pure.
Greed, lust, fear, anger, misfortune, unhappiness, all Are derived from foolishness. Thus, foolishness is the greatest of poisons.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
The stages of the Noble Path are: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
The sky holds no trace of bird or smoke or storm; An evil teaching carries no Enlightenment; nothing in this world is stable; But an Enlightened mind is undisturbed.
Following the Noble Path is like entering a dark room with A light in the hand; the darkness will all be cleared away, and the room will be filled with light.
From its beginning, the world has been filled with a succession of calamities; over and above the unavoidable facts of illness, decrepitude and death.
If a man possesses a repentant spirit his sins will disappear, but if he has an unrepentant spirit his sins will continue and condemn him for their sake forever.
On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; And it is the greatest property.
The King of Truth is the king of kings. His ancestry is of the purest and the highest. He not only rules the forequarters of the world, but he is also Lord of Wisdom and Protector of all Virtuous Teachings.
The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words.
The greatest prayer is patience.
The demon of worldly desires is always seeking chances to deceive the mind. If a viper lives in your room and you wish to have a peaceful sleep, you must first chase it out.
Sound health is the greatest of gifts; contentedness, the greatest of riches; trust, the greatest of qualities; enlightenment, the greatest happiness.
Rain falls, wind blows, plants bloom, leaves mature And are blown away; these phenomena are all interrelated with causes and conditions, are brought about by them, And disappear as the causes and conditions change.
Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence And non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way.
Pain is the outcome of sin.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in them- selves, but they are like heat haze.
The sun makes the day bright, the moon makes the night Beautiful, as armament adds to the dignity of a soldier; so the quiet meditation distinguishes the seeker for Enlightenment.
Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense. All other worldly passions seem to follow in its train.
Just as a picture is drawn by an artist, surroundings are created by the activities of the mind.
It is hard, indeed, to feel humble, to know respect and honor, to get rid of all attachments, to keep pure in thought and deed, and to become wise.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.
To utter pleasant words without practicing them, is like a fine flower without fragrance.
The world is always burning, burning with the fire of greed, anger and ignorance; one should flee from such dangers as soon as possible.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
Do not vainly lament, but do wonder at the rule of transiency and learn from it the emptiness of human life. Do not cherish to unworthy desire that the changeable might become unchanging.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, But should, like milk and water, mingle together.
To live a single day and hear a good teaching is better than to live a hundred years without knowing such teaching.
Do not dwell in the past. Do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment.
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.
A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely Alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
Blood stains can not be removed by more blood; resentment can not be removed by more resentment; resentment can be removed only by forgetting it.
Who, knowing the all in all its parts, For all its phases hath no lust, By comprehension of the all He truly hath escaped all-ill.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, And the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the Agony of life and death.
Everything changes, nothing remains without change.
Times of luxury do not last long, but pass away very quickly; nothing in this world can be long enjoyed.
Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.
Enlightenment has no definite form or nature by which it can manifest itself, so in Enlightenment itself, there's nothing to be enlightened.
Through zeal knowledge is gotten, through lack of zeal knowledge is lost; let a man who knows this double path of gain and loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow.
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.
Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.
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