When thoughts arise, then do all things arise. When thoughts vanish, then do all things vanish.
By Huang Po
The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes.
By Pema Chodron
Know that wealth, sex-delights, power, learning are all bondage. This is the beginning of wisdom
By Swami Sivananda
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
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.
By Buddha
You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.
By Dogen
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
By Buddha
Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching
By Thomas Kempis
I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.
By Buddha
A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighbouring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace. The other phenomena mentioned above are similarly interrelated. Thus, for example, we see that a clean environment, wealth or democracy mean little in the face of war, especially nuclear war, and that material development is not sufficient to ensure human happiness.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
By Buddha
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.
By Buddha
Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be acheived unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called 'peacekeeping forces' into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be oppossed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.
By Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
'Is this what you have in mind,' I asked the Dalai Lama, 'when you say in teachings that the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the world are the most selfish beings of all, that by cultivating altruism they actually achieve ultimate happiness for themselves?'
Yes. That's wise selfish,' he replied. 'Helping others not means we do this at our own expense. Not like this. Buddhas and bodhisattvas, these people very wise. All their lives they only want one thing: to achieve ultimate happiness. How to do this? By cultivating compassion, by cultivating altruism.
By Dalai Lama XIV
He who never thinks of anything as "mine" does not feel the lack of anything — he is never worried by a sense of loss.
By Buddha
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them
By Dalai Lama XIV
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.
By Buddha
When we discover that the truth is already in us, we are all at once our original selves.
By Dogen
May the truth of these words awaken transcendent wisdom and great heart of compassion in all beings. May they bring blessings to all.
By Buddha
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
By Buddha
A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering.
By Buddha
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
By Buddha
The true antidote to greed is contentment. If you have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn't matter whether you obtain the object of your desire or not. Either way, you are still content.
By Tenzin Gyatso
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.
By Buddha
Whether you believe in God or not does not matter much, whether you believe in Buddha or not does not matter so much; as a Buddhist, whether you believe in reincarnation or not does not matter so much. You must lead a good life.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
By Buddha
At the Day of Judgment, we shall not be asked what we have read, but what we have done
By Thomas Kempis
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.
By Buddha
It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them.
By Dalai Lama
The deep root of failure in our lives is to think, 'Oh how useless and powerless I am.' It is essential to think strongly and forcefully, 'I can do it,' without boasting or fretting.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Be assured that if you knew all, you would pardon all.
By Thomas Kempis
Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his ultimate destination
By Swami Sivananda
A book has but one vioce, but it does not instruct everyone alike.
By Thomas Kempis
I don't know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Personally I'm quite jovial with not much worry. I do my best, which is moderation, and failure doesn't matter.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
By Buddha
Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Life is short. Time is fleeting. Realize the Self. Purity of the heart is the gateway to God. Aspire. Renounce. Meditate. Be good; do good. Be kind; be compassionate. Inquire, know Thyself.
By Swami Sivananda
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
By Dalai Lama
The very purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others. Rather, we must criticize ourselves. How much am I doing about my anger? About my attachment, about my hatred, about my pride, my jealousy? These are the things which we must check in daily life.
By Dalai Lama
Do not love leisure. Waste not a minute. Be bold. Realize the Truth, here and now!
By Swami Sivananda
FIRST keep thyself in peace, and then shalt thou be able to be a peacemaker towards others. A peaceable man doth more good than a well-learned. A passionate man turneth even good into evil and easily believeth evil; a good, peaceable man converteth all things into good. He who dwelleth in peace is suspicious of none, but he who is discontented and restless is tossed with many suspicions, and is neither quiet himself nor suffereth others to be quiet. He often saith what he ought not to say, and omitteth what it were more expedient for him to do. He considereth to what duties others are bound, and neglecteth those to which he is bound himself. Therefore be zealous first over thyself, and then mayest thou righteously be zealous concerning thy neighbour.
By Thomas Kempis
When something
needs to be done in the world
to rectify the wrongs,
if one is really concerned
with benefiting others,
one needs to be
engaged, involved.
This is action out of compassion.
By Dalai Lama XIV
If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.
By Dalai Lama XIV
You should study not only that you become a mother when your child is born, but also that you become a child.
By Dogen
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.
By Buddha
Training is needed in order to love properly; and to be able to give happiness and joy, you must practice DEEP LOOKING directed toward the other person you love. Because if you do not understand this person, you cannot love properly. Understanding is the essence of love. If you cannot understand, you cannot love. That is the message of the Buddha. [True Love. A Practice for Awakening the Heart.]
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Afflictive emotions - our jealousy, anger, hatred, fear - can be put to an end. When you realize that these emotions are only temporary, that they always pass on like clouds in the sky, you also realize they can ultimately be abandoned.
By Tenzin Gyatso
One problem with our current society is that we have an attitude towards education as if it is there to simply make you more clever, make you more ingenious... Even though our society does not emphasize this, the most important use of knowledge and education is to help us understand the importance of engaging in more wholesome actions and bringing about discipline within our minds. The proper utilization of our intelligence and knowledge is to effect changes from within to develop a good heart.
By Dalai Lama XIV
In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Understanding unity helps to solve humanity's biggest challenges. There is no such thing as an isolated problem. By injuring any part of the world's system, you injure yourself. There is no such thing as a win/lose situation.
Think of life on this planet in terms of systems and not detached elements. Broaden your field of vision and assimilate the knowledge you have. See that the environment does not belong to any single country to exploit and then disregard.
You cannot afford to think of your relationship with the earth as a one-night stand. There's no such thing as a free glass of milk. It's time to buy the cow.
By Za Rinpoche
I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.
By Dalai Lama
We discover that all human beings are just like us, so we are able to relate to them more easily. That generates a spirit of friendship in which there is less need to hide what we feel or what we are doing.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.
By Buddha
The main difference between us, Buddhism and other philosophies, is that we do not accept the notion of a living god, but rather that we are responsible for our future happiness.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
I believe if we human beings keep our self-confidence and determination and use wisdom properly, I think we have the ability to overcome problems.
By Tenzin Gyatso
If you do not know the laws of right conduct, you cannot form your character.
By Swami Sivananda
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
By Lao-tzu
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
By Buddha
One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it or not: what is the purpose of life? From the moment of birth every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness
By Dalai Lama
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.
By Buddha
Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become clear and you will realize the unity of all things.
By Dogen
All the Buddhas of all the ages have been telling you a very simple fact: Be - don't try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained. Being is enlightenment, becoming is ignorance.
By OSHO
Those who have passions are never able to preceive the Way; for it is like stirring up clear water with hands; people may come there wishing to find a reflection of their faces, which, however, they will never see. A mind troubled and vexed with the passions is impure, and on that account it never sees the Way. O monks, do away with passions. When the dirt of passion is removed the Way will manifest itself.
By Buddha
Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.
By Dalai Lama
Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Follow the three R's:
- Respect for self.
- Respect for others.
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone everyday.
Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Do not arouse disdainful mind when you prepare a broth of wild grasses; do not arouse joyful mind when you prepare a fine cream soup
By Dogen
Occasions do not make a man either strong or weak but they show what he is
By Thomas Kempis
When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
When someone asks you a question, answer him or her sincerely, and when you are not asked, do not force your teaching upon others.
By Jae Woong Kim
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.
By Buddha
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.
By Buddha
People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
We live very cloe together. So our prime purpose in this life is to help others.And if you can't help them, atleast don't hurt them.
By Dalai Lama XIV
If a man who has committed many sins, does not repent and purify his heart of evil, retribution will come upon his person as sure as the streams runs into the ocean which becomes ever deeper and wider. If a man who has committed sins, come to the knowledge of it, reforms himself, and practises goodness, the force of retribution will gradually exhaust itself as a disease gradually loses its baneful influence when the patient perspires.
By Buddha
Every single being, even those who are hostile to us, is just as afraid of suffering as we are, and seeks happiness in the same way we do. Every person has the same right as we do to be happy and not to suffer. So let's take care of others wholeheartedly, of both our friends and our enemies. This is the basis for true compassion.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
By Buddha
To suppose that merely by abandoning material progress we could overcome all of our problems would be shortsighted.
By Dalai Lama
If you wish to know the divine, feel the wind on your face and the warm sun on your hand.
By Eido Tai Shimano Roshi
Forget like a child any injury done by somebody immediately. Never keep it in the heart. It kindles hatred.
By Swami Sivananda
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
By Buddha
How seldom we weigh our neighbor in the same balance with ourselves
By Thomas Kempis
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
There's a reason you can learn from everything: you have basic wisdom, basic intelligence, and basic goodness.
By Pema Chodron
If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims
By Dalai Lama XIV
When you can do nothing, what can you do?
By Zen Koan
Change doesn't come from the sky. It comes from human action
By Tenzin Gyatso
Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.
By Swami Sivananda
Give up salt, give up sugar, give up spices, give up vegetables, give up chutnies, give up tamarind. Serve Bhangis, serve rogues, serve inferiors, remove faecal matter. Do not revenge, resist not evil, return good for evil, bear insult and injury. Forget like a child any injury done by somebody immediately. Never keep it in the heart. It kindles hatred.
By Swami Sivananda
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.
By Sutta Nipata
What else does anxiety about the future bring you but sorrow upon sorrow?
By Thomas Kempis
All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?
By Buddha
It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others
By Dalai Lama XIV
The logs of wood which move down the river together Are driven apart by every wave. Such inevitable parting Should not be the cause of misery
By Nagarjuna
When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.
By Pema Chodron
If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
By Buddha
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
By Buddha
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.
By Buddha
A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it
By Dogen
In addition to wreaking havoc on our bodies, anger close our inner door, making us feel isolated and distrustful, hindering communication.
By Tenzin Gyatso
If we were able to maintain a calm and peaceful mind all day long, we would never experience any problems or mental suffering. If our mind remains peaceful all the time, then even if we are insulted, criticised or blamed or if we lose our job or our friends, we shall not become unhappy.
No matter how difficult the situation may become, for as long as we maintain a calm and peaceful mind the situation will not be a problem for us, there if we wish to be free from problems there is only one thing to do - learn to maintain a peaceful state of mind by practicing dharma sincerely and purely
By Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
We usually know what we can do, but temptation shows us who we are.
By Thomas Kempis
And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation. Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity. The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our hearts.
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Evil-doers who denounce the wise resemble a person who spits against the sky; the spittle will never reach the sky; but comes down on himself.
By Buddha
If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.
By Dalai Lama
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
By Buddha
A further sign of health is that we don't become undone by fear and trembling, but we take it as a message that it's time to stop struggling and look directly at what's threatening us.
By Pema Chodron
Do not think you will necessarily be aware of your own enlightenment.
By Dogen
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.
By Buddha
Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
By Dalai Lama XIV
Life without a purpose is a languid, drifting thing; every day we ought to review our purpose, saying to ourselves, 'This day let me make a sound beginning, for what we have hitherto done is naught
By Thomas Kempis
Neither from itself nor from another,
Nor from both,
Nor without a cause,
Does anything whatever, anywhere arise
By Nagarjuna
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
By Buddha
He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
By Buddha
Do not confuse peace of mind with spaced-out insensitivity. A truly peaceful mind is very sensitive, very aware.
By Tenzin Gyatso
Once a man came unto me and denounced me on account of my observing the Way and practicing great loving-kindness. But I kept silent and did not answer him. The denunciation ceased. Then I asked him. 'If you bring a present to your neighbour and he accepts it not; does the present come back to you?' He replied, 'It will.' I said, 'You denounce me now, but as I accept it not, you must take the wrong deed back on your own person. It is like echo succeeding sound, it is like shadow following object; you never escape the effect of your own evil deeds. Be therefore mindful, and cease from doing evil.
By Buddha
