282 Buddhism quotes

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Our thoughts shape us; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

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.

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.

Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can, and no one may. We must walk the path.

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.

Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future; concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison.

Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone, they cease. This is an eternal law.

In the end, these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-natured man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.

If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.

True love is born from understanding.

By liberation of the self through love, we will develop love; we will practice it, we will make it both a way and a basis.

Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.

Love is a gift of one’s innermost soul to another, so both can be whole.

Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.

Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.

Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so, let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.

He who loves people has woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.

We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.

Let us arise and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.

Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline have one taste, the taste of liberation.

I guess if I had to pick a spiritual figurehead to possess the deed to the entirety of Earth, I’d go with Buddha, but only because he wouldn’t want it. Sarah Vowell, Unfamiliar Fishes

The foolish and the ignorant give themselves over to negligence, whereas the wise treasure mindfulness as a precious jewel.

Wear your ego like a loose-fitting garment.

Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.

If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.

He who gives away shall have real gain. He who subdues himself shall be free; he shall cease to be a slave of passions. The righteous man casts off evil, and by rooting out lust, bitterness, and illusion, do we reach Nirvana.

Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength.

With fools, there is no companionship. Rather than to live with men who are selfish, vain, quarrelsome, and obstinate, let a man walk alone.

Most problems, if you give them enough time and space, will eventually wear themselves out.

People with opinions just go around bothering one another.

In Buddha’s opinion, to train in staying open and curious

Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at, but without scent, fine words are fruitless in a man who does not act by them.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

Life is so tough. How can we be anything but kind?

Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.

If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path.

To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.

Remember to take care of yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

A jug fills drop by drop.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

The trouble is, you think you have time.

A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.

Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.

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

Nothing can harm you as much as your thoughts unguarded.

Speak or act with an impure mind, and trouble will follow you.

The past is already gone; the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.

What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.

Live every act fully, as if it were your last.

Some do not understand that we must die, but those who do realize this settle their quarrels.

Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.

If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.

Doubt everything. Find your light.

Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.

It is a man’s mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.

On life’s journey, faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day, and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.

Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception.

There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.

What you think you become. What you feel you attract. What you imagine you create.

As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.

It is easy to see the faults of others, but difficult to see one’s faults.

I am the miracle.

That deed is not well done, if one has to repent for having done it, and if, with a tearful face, one has to weep as a result of that deed.

There isn’t enough darkness in all the world to snuff out the light of one little candle.

Whatever a monk keeps pursuing his thinking and pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness.

To abstain from lying is essentially wholesome.

Meditate… do not delay, lest you later regret it.

She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair.

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child and to have a simple livelihood; this is good luck.

As a mountain of rock is unshaken by the wind, so also, the wise are unperturbed by blame or by praise.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is about everything else.

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their minds and then believe them to be true.

You only lose what you cling to.

A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.

However many holy words you read, However many you speak, What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?

You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.

To insist on a spiritual practice that served you in the past is to carry the raft on your back after you have crossed the river.

You are the community now. Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up.

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.

You must strive. The Buddhas only point the way.

Give, even if you only have a little.

If a man’s thoughts are muddy, If he is reckless and full of deceit, How can he wear the yellow robe? Whoever is master of his nature, Bright, clear and true, He may indeed wear the yellow robe.

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

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your reason and your common sense.

The path of awakening begins with a step the Buddha called right understanding. Jack Kornfield, Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation

Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course.

Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.

As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgment but rain your kindness equally on all.

Learn this from water: loud splashes the brook, but the depth of the ocean is calm.

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 one in whom no longer exist the craving and thirst that perpetuate becoming; how could you track that Awakened one, trackless, and of limitless range.

It is like things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.

What we think we become.

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature.

Purity or impurity depends on oneself. No one can purify another.

Imagine that every person in the world is enlightened but you. They are all your teachers, each doing just the right things to help you.

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 is you freed.

Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds.

If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true? Is it necessary, is it kind.

From endearment springs grief, from endearment springs fear. From him who is wholly free from endearment, there is no grief, whence then fear?

To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own amid abundance.

Work out your salvation. Do not depend on others.

Be where you are; otherwise, you will miss your life.

One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings, one is called noble.

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

If you wish to be gentle with others, be gentle first with yourself.

Every morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

Remembering a wrong is like carrying a burden on the mind.

If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good.

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.

All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If the mind is transformed, can wrong-doing remain?

If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?

Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves.

There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.

If you don’t tend to one another, who then will tend to you?

There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.

There is no fire like passion; there is no shark like hatred; there is no snare like folly; there is no torrent like greed.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven, or hell.

Better than a hundred years in the life of a person who is idle and inactive is a day in the life of one who makes a zealous and strenuous effort.

Nothing is permanent.

Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your unguarded thoughts.

If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep on walking.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.

Rule your mind, or it will rule you.

To understand everything is to forgive everything.

Speak the only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing.

Peace is the highest bliss.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again, but is he peaceful, loving, and fearless, then he is in truth called wise.

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

Better than a thousand useless words is one useful word, hearing which one attains peace.

Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that, and all will be well.

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

Full of joy, full of faith in the Teaching of the Buddha, the monk attains the Peaceful State, the bliss of cessation of conditioned things.

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.

It is ridiculous to think that somebody else can make you happy or unhappy.

Entangled by the bonds of hate, one who seeks happiness by inflicting pain on others is never delivered from hatred.

Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.

One who acts on truth is happy in this world and beyond.

Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.

Happiness is not having a lot. Happiness is giving a lot.

If with a pure mind, a person speaks or acts, happiness follows them like a never-departing shadow.

Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness and benefit.

One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.

If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.

Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing.

A disciplined mind brings happiness.

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.

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.

If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon…. If a man speaks or acts with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.

To one ever eager to revere and serve the elders, these four blessings accrue long life and beauty, happiness, and power.

There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path.

A man asked Gautama Buddha, ‘I want happiness.’ Buddha said, ‘First remove I, that’s Ego, then remove want, that’s Desire. See, now you are left with only Happiness.’

If, by renouncing lesser happiness, one may realize greater happiness, let the wise one renounce the lesser, having regard for the greater.

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.

If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.

One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.

When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.

Believe there is good in the world.

Wonder of wonders! intrinsically all living beings are Buddhas, endowed with wisdom and virtue, but because men’s minds have become inverted through delusive thinking.

If you don’t disturb yourself, like a broken gong does not vibrate, then you have achieved nirvana. Irritability no longer Exist for you.

If one is the master of oneself, one is the resort one can depend on; therefore, one should control oneself of all.

I Gained nothing at all from the Supreme Enlightenment, and for that very reason it is called Supreme Enlightenment.

It is better to spend one day contemplating the birth and death of all things than a hundred years never contemplating beginnings and endings.

The wind cannot overturn a mountain. Temptation cannot touch the man who is awake, strong and humble. Who masters himself and minds the law.

Know well what holds you back, and what moves you forward.

All Phenomena do not exist because of being dependent arising. All Phenomena do not inherently exist because of being dependently imputed.

Silence the angry man with love. Silence the ill-nature man with kindness. Silence the miser with generosity. Silence the liar with truth.

Not even death can wipe out our good deeds.

Just as one can make a lot of garlands from a heap of flowers, so man, subject to birth and death as he is, should make himself a lot of good karma.

When action comes out of nothing it creates no karma.

One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud.

Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.

The greatest miracle is to be alive. We can put an end to our suffering just by realizing that our suffering is not worth suffering for! How many people kill themselves because of rage or despair? In that moment, they do not see the vast happiness that is available.

Mindfulness puts an end to such a limited perspective. The Buddha faced his own suffering directly and discovered the path of liberation. Don’t run away from things that are unpleasant in order to embrace things that are pleasant. Put your hands in the earth. Face the difficulties and grow new happiness.

Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment.

Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.

If a man speak or act with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.

Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.

People suffer because they are caught in their views. As soon as we release those views, we are free and we don’t suffer anymore.

Do not lose yourself in the past. Do not lose yourself in the future. Do not get caught in your anger, worries, or fears. Come back to the present moment, and touch life deeply. This is mindfulness.

The root of suffering is attachment.

Usually when we hear or read something new, we just compare it to our own ideas. If it is the same, we accept it and say that it is correct. If it is not, we say it is incorrect. In either case, we learn nothing.

Pain is certain, suffering is optional.

Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.

The root of suffering is an attachment.

Pain is certain; Suffering is optional.

Our mind shapes our life; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.

All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.

As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).

But those who act according to the perfectly taught Dharma will cross the realm of Death, so difficult to cross.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to Death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already.

Just as a cowherd drives the cattle to pasture with a staff, so do old age and death drive the life force of beings (from existence to existence).

Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death.

Neither in the sky nor mid-ocean nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one may not be overcome by death.

The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.

This city (body) is built of bones, plastered with flesh and blood; within are decay and death, pride and jealousy.

Those sages who are inoffensive and ever-restrained in body, go to the Deathless State, where, having gone, they grieve no more.

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.

Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained, and using well-spoken words: this is good luck.

The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.

There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.

What is evil? Killing is evil; lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil; illusion is the root of evil.

For soon the body is discarded, Then what does it feel? A useless log of wood, it lies on the ground, Then what does it know? Your worst enemy cannot harm you As much as your thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, No one can help you as much, Not even your father or your mother.

An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.

Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in mind.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.

Shame on him who strikes a holy man, and more shame to him who gives way to anger.

When it is impossible for anger to arise within you, you find no outside enemies anywhere.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

The gift of truth excels all other gifts.

Into the presence of the gods.

Learn this from water: loud splashes the brook but the oceans depth are calm.

Three things can not hide for long: the Moon, the Sun and the Truth.

The gift of the Truth beats all other gifts. The flavour of the Truth beats all other tastes. The joy of the Truth beats all other joys, and the cessation of desire conquers all suffering.

Never be angry.

Speak the truth.

Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be ye a refuge to yourselves. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp; hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourselves.

The worlds originate so that truth may come and dwell therein.

There are three things that cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.

Inner freedom is not guided by our efforts; it comes from seeing what is true.

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.

Just as gold is burnt, cut and rubbed, Examine my words carefully and Do not accept them simply out of respect.

Stop, stop. Do not speak. The ultimate truth is not even to think.

Truth is the same, always. Whoever ponders it will get the same answer. Buddha got it. Patanjali got it. Jesus got it. Mohammed got it. The answer is the same, but the method of working it out may vary this way or that. Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

Those who have failed to work toward the truth have missed the purpose of living.

The foolish man conceives the idea of ‘self.’ The wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the idea of ‘self;’ thus, he has a right conception of the world and well concludes that all compounds amassed by sorrow will be dissolved again, but the truth will remain.

Conquer the angry one by not getting angry; conquer the wicked by goodness; conquer the stingy by generosity, and the liar by speaking the truth.

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.

Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.

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.

A friend is someone who knows everything about your life and still loves you.

Always love your friends from your heart and not from your needs.

Many people will walk in and out of your life. But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

The most valuable gift you can receive is an honest friend.

A true Friend’s silence hurts more than an enemy’s rough words.

It can be one of the hardest things in life to lose your best friend.

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, But you know they are there.

To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

One should strive to understand what underlies sufferings and diseases – and aim for health and well-being while gaining in the path.

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

Every human being is the author of his health or disease.

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s mind. If a man can control his mind, he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

Without health, life is not life; it is only a state of languor and suffering – an image of death.