The collections of the famous quotes

Buddha's Quotes

Dalai Lama's Quotes

 Buddha's Quotes

~1~

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;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.

~2~

 The Four Reliances
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.

~3~

 Pay no attention to the faults of others,
things done or left undone by others.
Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.

~4~

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.

~5~

Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.

~6~

 He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.

~7~

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

~8~

 Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

~9~

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.

~10~

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

~11~

Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

~12~

One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the messiah?"
"No", answered Buddha.
"Then are you a healer?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the student persisted.
"No, I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?" asked the student, exasperated.
"I am awake", Buddha replied.

~13~

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

~14~

Fill your mind with compassion.

~15~

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

~16~

What we think, we become.

~17~

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.

 ~18~

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, 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.

~19~

Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much

as your own unguarded thoughts.

~20~

 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

~21~

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.

~22~

 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

~23~

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

~24~

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

~25~

"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

~26~

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

~27~

See the truth, and you will see me.

~28~

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

 

~29~

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.

~30~

I teach one thing and one only:
that is, suffering and the end of suffering.

~31~

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

~32~

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

 

~33~

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

 

~34~

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

~35~

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

~36~

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.

~37~

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;
If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom. 

~38~

Believe nothing on the faith of traditions,
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe on the faith of the sages of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have imagined,
persuading yourself that a God inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your masters and priests.
After examination, believe what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto.

~39~

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.

~40~

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

~41~

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.

~42~

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

~43~

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

~44~

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

~45~

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

~46~

 However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?

~47~

 To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance.

~48~

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. 

~49~

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.

~50~

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

  

Dalai Lama Quotes

~1~

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion

~2~

~3~

The whole purpose of religion
is to facilitate love and compassion, patience,
tolerance, humility, forgiveness.

~4~

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

~6~

~7~

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!

~8~

 First one must change.
I first watch myself, check myself, then expect changes from others.

~9~

~10~

~11~

It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.

~12~

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.

~13~

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

~14~

 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.

~15~

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.

~16~

~17~

 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.

~18~

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.

~19~

 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.

~20~

 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.