Quotes by Gautama Buddha
Welcome to our collection of quotes (with shareable picture quotes) by Gautama Buddha. We hope you enjoy pondering them and that you will share them widely.
Wikipedia Summary for Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha, popularly known as the Buddha (also known as Siddhattha Gotama or Siddhārtha Gautama or Buddha Shakyamuni), was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in ancient India (c. 5th to 4th century BCE). He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism and recognized by most Buddhist schools as the Enlightened One who is believed to have transcended Karma and escaped the cycle of birth and rebirth. He taught for around 45 years and built a large following, both monastic and lay. His teaching is based on his insight into duḥkha (typically translated as "suffering") and the end of duhkha—the state called Nibbāna or Nirvana.
The Buddha was born into an aristocratic family in the Shakya clan but eventually renounced lay life. According to Buddhist tradition, after several years of mendicancy, meditation, and asceticism, he awakened to understand the mechanism which keeps people trapped in the cycle of rebirth. The Buddha then traveled throughout the Ganges plain teaching and building a religious community. The Buddha taught a middle way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the Indian śramaṇa movement. He taught a spiritual path that included ethical training and meditative practices such as jhana and mindfulness. The Buddha also critiqued the practices of Brahmin priests, such as animal sacrifice, caste system and belief in creator(God).
A couple of centuries after his death he came to be known by the title Buddha, which means "Awakened One" or "Enlightened One". Gautama's teachings were compiled by the Buddhist community in the Suttas, which contain his discourses, and the Vinaya, his codes for monastic practice. These were passed down in Middle-Indo Aryan dialects through an oral tradition. Later generations composed additional texts, such as systematic treatises known as Abhidharma, biographies of the Buddha, collections of stories about the Buddha's past lives known as Jataka tales, and additional discourses, i.e. the Mahayana sutras.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
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.
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.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
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.
Just to say 'I believe' or 'I do not doubt' does not mean that you understand and see. To force oneself to see and accept a thing without understanding is political and not spiritual or intellectual.
Victory breeds hatred. The defeated live in pain. Happily the peaceful live,
giving up victory and defeat.
Analyzing through special insight and realizing the lack of inherent existence constitute understanding of the signless.
Those which are produced from causes are not produced. they do not have an inherent nature of production. those which depend on causes are said to be empty; those who know emptiness are aware.
To force oneself to believe and to accept a thing without understanding is political, and not spiritual or intellectual.
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.
Verse 223.
Attention is living; inattention is dying. The attentive never stop. The inattentive are dead already.
Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.
An insincere 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.
Sitting alone, sleeping alone, acting alone, let the diligent one enjoy the forest, taming the self alone.
To keep the body in good health is a duty -- otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well-spoken words: this is good luck.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all being in his own self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one -- himself.
Longer Version/[Notes]:
Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one -- himself. Better to conquer yourself than others. When you've trained yourself, living in constant self-control, neither a deva nor gandhabba, nor a Mara banded with Brahmas, could turn that triumph back into defeat.
Of those beings who live in ignorance, shut up and confined, as it were, in an egg, I have first broken the eggshell of ignorance and alone in the universe obtained the most exalted, universal Buddhahood.
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.
If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear.
Craving and desire are the cause of all unhappiness. Everything sooner or later must change, so do not become attached to anything. Instead devote.
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. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.
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.
We must be diligent today. To wait until tomorrow is too late. Death comes unexpectedly. How can we bargain with it?
As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.
The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.
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.
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
What is the appropriate behavior for a man or a woman in the midst of this world, where each person is clinging to his piece of debris? What's the proper salutation between people as they pass each other in this flood?
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.
With fools, there is no companionship. Rather than to live with men who are selfish, vain, quarrelsome, and obstinate, let a man walk alone.
In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
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.
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?
A woman of the world is anxious to exhibit her form and shape, whether walking, standing, sitting, or sleeping. Even when represented as a picture, she desires to captivate with the charms of her beauty and, thus, to rob men of their steadfast heart.
Quotes by Gautama Buddha are featured in:
Happiness Quotes
Gratitude Quotes
History Quotes
Inspirational Quotes
Life Quotes
Nature Quotes
Peace Quotes
Silence Quotes
Simplicity Quotes
Wisdom Quotes
Love Quotes
Nirvana Quotes
Self-Discovery Quotes