Buddha Quotations

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

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

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

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

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

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

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.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.

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 own 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.

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

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.

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.

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

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

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.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

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.

It is better to travel well than to arrive.

Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Better than worshiping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness.

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

I am not the first Buddha who came upon Earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time, another Buddha will arise in the world - a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals.

Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering - an image of death.

Let my skin and sinews and bones dry up, together with all the flesh and blood of my body! I welcome it! But I will not move from this spot until I have attained the supreme and final wisdom.

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.

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

He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.

I was born into the world as the king of truth for the salvation of the world.

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.

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?

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

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast.

He who walks in the eightfold noble path with unswerving determination is sure to reach Nirvana.

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

Charity bestowed upon those who are worthy of it is like good seed sown on a good soil that yields an abundance of fruits. But alms given to those who are yet under the tyrannical yoke of the passions are like seed deposited in a bad soil. The passions of the receiver of the alms choke, as it were, the growth of merits.

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

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

The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

Let the wise guard their thoughts, which are difficult to perceive, extremely subtle, and wander at will. Thought which is well guarded is the bearer of happiness.

Love the whole world as a mother lovers her only child.

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

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.

My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system.

Never in this world can hatred be stilled by hatred; it will be stilled only by non-hatred -- this is the law of eternal.

On the contrary, Subhuti, those Bodhisattvas who, when these words of the sutra are being taught, will find even one single thought of serene faith, will be such as have honoured many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, such as have planted their roots

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

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

If a man who enjoys a lesser happiness beholds a greater one, let him leave aside the lesser to gain the greater.

He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.

He is not the same, nor is he another.

He is able who thinks he is able.

'He insulted me, he cheated me, he beat me, he robbed me' -- those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.

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.

To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.

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

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

His success may be great, but be it ever so great the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring him down into the dust

Wherever there is possession of marks, there is fraud ; wherever there is no-possession of no-marks, there is no fraud. Hence the Tathagata is to be seen from no-marks as marks.

Whoever counters the malicious with malice can never be free, but one who feels no maliciousness pacifies those who hate. Hate brings misery to humanity so the wise man knows no hatred

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.

Those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with strong determination.

To refrain from evil and from strong drink and to be always, steadfast in virtue; this is the good luck.

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

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

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.

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

Through zeal, knowledge is gotten; through lack of zeal, knowledge is lost; let a man who knows the double path of gain and loss thus place himself that knowledge may grow.

Through zeal, knowledge is gotten; through lack of zeal, knowledge is lost.

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

Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.

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.

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.

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

As the Fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.

As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds.

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

Ennui has made more gamblers than avarice, more drunkards than thirst, and perhaps as many suicides as despair.

Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds.

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