146 Buddhist Philosophy Quotes

Following is our list of buddhist philosophy quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about buddhist life.

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Famous Buddhist Philosophy Quotes

Buddhism teaches you to embrace change. — Koo Stark

To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, 'Don't cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.' — Ajahn Chah

Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. — Dalai Lama

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. — Dalai Lama

Buddhas don't practice nonsense. — Bodhidharma

Buddhism is all about science. If science is the systematic pursuit of the accurate knowledge of reality, then science is Buddhism, Buddhism is science. — Robert Thurman

I haven't got any Buddhism. I live by letting things happen. — Dogen

The complete teachings of all Buddhas - past, present, and future - are to be found within the essence of every human being. — Huineng

If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason. There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion. — B. R. Ambedkar

Buddhism has become a socially recognized religious philosophy for Americans, whereas it used to be considered an exotic religion. — Thurston Moore

Zen Buddhism is a discipline where belief isn't necessary. — David Sylvian

Ju jitsu is very Buddhist. All that we fear we hold close to ourselves to survive. So if you're drowning and you see a corpse floating by, hang on to it because it will rescue you. — Tom Hardy

Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. — Bodhidharma

All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain. — Epictetus

Ultimately one must abandon the path to enlightenment. If you still define yourself as a Buddhist, you are not a buddha yet. — Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche

Buddhism Quotes

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle. Happiness never decreases by being shared. — Buddha

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass. — Dogen

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it? — Dogen

Buddhist philosophy quote Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and
Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.

What you think you become. — Buddha

Do not encumber your mind with useless thoughts. What good does it do to brood on the past or anticipate the future? Remain in the simplicity of the present moment. — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher. — Pema Chodron

Buddhist philosophy quote My philosophy is: It's none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and
My philosophy is: It's none of my business what people say of me and think of me. I am what I am and I do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. And it makes life so much easier.

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

On the day that you were born, you began to die. Do not waste a single moment more! — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

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

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

Buddhist Life Quotes

Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. — Dalai Lama

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

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

We suffer because we want life to be different from what it is. We suffer because we try to make pleasurable what is painful, to make solid what is fluid, to make permanent what is always changing. — Sakyong Mipham

Buddhist philosophy quote Leisure is the mother of philosophy.
Leisure is the mother of philosophy.

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

Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life. — Dogen

Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality. — Dalai Lama

Buddhist philosophy quote Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.

One moment can change a day, One day can change a life and One life can change the world — Buddha

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

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

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. - A. A. Milne

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. — A. A. Milne

This is bravery: using the challenge of daily life to sharpen our mind and open our heart. — Sakyong Mipham

Buddhist Quotes

Follow the three R's: - Respect for self. - Respect for others. - Responsibility for all your actions. — Dalai Lama

Every civilization: Hindu, Buddhist, Confucianist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, all of them understood that LEARNING was to make a BETTER HUMAN BEING, LEARNING was NOT to MAKE MORE MONEY; It was to make a BETTER HUMAN BEING. — Hamza Yusuf

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

All rising to great places is by a winding stair. - Buddha

All rising to great places is by a winding stair. — Buddha

My religion is to live and die without regret. - Milarepa

My religion is to live and die without regret. — Milarepa

Do not try to become anything. Do not make yourself into anything. Do not be a meditator. Do not become enlightened. When you sit, let it be. What you walk, let it be. Grasp at nothing. Resist nothing. — Ajahn Chah

All meditation must begin with arousing deep compassion. Whatever one does must emerge from an attitude of love and benefitting others. — Milarepa

By whomsoever no evil is done in deed, or word, or thought, him I call a Brahmin (holy man) who is guarded in these three. — Buddha

That which you give to another will become your own sustenance; if you light a lamp for another, your own way will be lit. — Nichiren

Light must come from inside. You cannot ask the darkness to leave; you must turn on the light. — Sogyal Rinpoche

Buddhist Meditation Quotes

I'm expressin' with my full capabilities, And now I'm livin in correctional facilities. Cause some don't agree with how I do this, I get straight and meditate like a Buddhist. — Dr. Dre

If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear. — Buddha

In horror of death, I took to the mountains - again and again I meditated on the uncertainty of the hour of death, capturing the fortress of the deathless unending nature of mind. Now all fear of death is over and done. — Milarepa

You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too. — Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar

Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment. — Nhat Hanh

When sitting in meditation, say, "That's not my business!" with every thought that comes by. — Ajahn Chah

Movement is good for the body. Stillness is good for the mind. — Sakyong Mipham

Mind is everything. What we think, we become. — Buddha

If you have a glass full of liquid you can discourse forever on its qualities, discuss whether it is cold, warm, whether it is really and truly composed of H-2-O, or even mineral water, or saki. Meditation is Drinking it! — Taisen Deshimaru

Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine. — Buddha

Eastern Philosophy Quotes

A man of wisdom delights in water. — Confucius

He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. — Confucius

I play basketball on Sundays and I'm a very spiritual guy; I read a lot of Eastern philosophy and I meditate. — Garry Shandling

To know yourself you need not go to any book, to any priest, to any psychologist. The whole treasure is within yourself. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Gandhi became my role model. I have always been interested in Eastern philosophy. Since early in my life I've been fascinated by India, and I have spent a great deal of time traveling in that country. — Bianca Jagger

"All conditioned things are impermanent" - when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. — Buddha

Study without reflection is a waste of time; reflection without study is dangerous. — Confucius

The fact is that you are not the body. The Self does not move but the world moves in it. You are only what you are. — Ramana Maharshi

If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand. — Confucius

Men's natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them. — Confucius

Good Buddhist Quotes

Good men and bad men differ radically. Bad men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else — Buddha

Since everything is but an apparition, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter. — Longchenpa

Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Inquiring about a difference is like asking to borrow string when you've got a good strong rope. Every Dharma is known in the heart. — Hsu Yun

I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity ... I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can. — Thomas Merton

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. — Buddha

If you cannot find a good companion to walk with, walk alone, like an elephant roaming the jungle. It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress. — Buddha

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

The right time to show your good character is when you are pestered by someone weaker than you. — Buddha

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

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. 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. — Buddha

Buddhism Happiness Quotes

Learn to be happy in any and all circumstances, whether you're experiencing pleasure or pain, whether there's loss or gain, whether the world loves you or hates you. Learn to be happy. — Frederick Lenz

By breaking down our sense of self-importance, all we lose is a parasite that has long infected our minds. What we gain in return is freedom, openness of mind, spontaneity, simplicity, altruism: all qualities inherent in happiness. — Matthieu Ricard

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

The basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favourable. — Matthieu Ricard

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

In the chakras, it's the heart chakra, anahata, the central chakra, three above and three below, which symbolizes happiness and love, psychic oneness, spiritual understanding. — Frederick Lenz

All that we are is the result of what we have thought; what we think we become. — Buddha

With our thoughts we make the world. — Buddha

Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace. — Nhat Hanh

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. — Buddha

Zen Buddhism Quotes

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

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

Have good trust in yourself, not in the One that you think you should be, but in the One that you are. — Taizan Maezumi

Let me give you a wonderful Zen practice. Wake up in the morning...look in the mirror, and laugh at yourself. — Bernie Glassman

You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself. — Alan Watts

Life is a vast, unknowable movement of wholeness with no one separate from it and nothing outside of it. — Toni Packer

To practice Zen Buddhism is to train oneself to eliminate hatred, anger and selfishness and to develop loving-kindness towards all. — Thich Thien-An

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. — Buddha

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun. — Alan Watts

One must be deeply aware of the impermanence of the world. — Dogen

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. — Buddha

Hinduism And Buddhism Quotes

I urge you to sin. But not against these itty-bitty religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism-or their secular derivatives, Marxism, Maoism, Freudianism and Jungianism-whic h are all derivatives of the big religion of patriarchy. Sin against the infrastructure itself! — Mary Daly

Whether you look at Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, wherever a distinction of sex is made, it is to the advantage of men. If you think of religions as if they were novels, the authors are men, and so are the major characters. — Katha Pollitt

I think Christianity is the same as Buddhism and Hinduism - whenever a religion begins to say that these are the things you have to do to be loved by God, you have a religion. — Erwin McManus

That was my real education in the world - I learned politics, the social and cultural life of India, Hindu tradition and religion, and Buddhism. — Satish Kumar

As an individual, I think you have to find your own path. I like the simplicity and purity of Hinduism and many elements of Buddhism. These are all means of accessing spiritual energy. — Dave Davies

I like to read about different religions - Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. — Wesley Snipes

…the doctrinal differences between Hinduism and Buddhism and Taoism are not anywhere near as important as doctrinal differences among Christianity and Islam and Judaism. Holy wars are not fought over them because verbalized statements about reality are never presumed to be reality itself. — Robert M. Pirsig

I believe Buddhism to be a simplification of Hinduism and Islam to be a simplification of Xianity. — C. S. Lewis

One of the effects of religions getting together is that they borrow from one another. An example is the growing number of Catholics who are practicing Yoga and meditation techniques borrowed from Buddhism and Hinduism. So there are these borrowings which I think fertilize the religions. — Ninian Smart

We learn by doing, not just by thinking. So I feel like beyond Buddhism, or Hinduism, or Judaism, or Christianity we need today to think about a global spirituality. We need to make it very personal and transformative for one self, and each other, together for those who are interested. — Surya Das

Buddhism And Christianity Quotes

Do unto others as you would have them do to you, said the rapist. — Bo Burnham

The convent, which belongs to the West as it does to the East, to antiquity as it does to the present time, to Buddhism and Muhammadanism as it does to Christianity, is one of the optical devices whereby man gains a glimpse of infinity. — Victor Hugo

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. — Buddha

Belief in heaven and hell is a big deal in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and some forms of doctrinaire Buddhism. For the rest of us it's simply meaningless. We don't live in order to die, we live in order to live. — Ursula K. Le Guin

Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. — Buddha

I believe that everybody has the right to believe what they want to believe and to knock somebody's faith and religion is foolish, whatever it may be - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism. — Nicolas Cage

Buddhism and Christianity are incompatible because there is no God in Buddhism - particularly in Theravada Buddhism. But they are also allies because their values and practices are compatible and they can work together - indeed, they would benefit greatly from doing so. — Ninian Smart

Subtract miracles from Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, or Toaism, and you have essentially the same religion left. Subtract miracles from Christianity, and you have nothing but the cliches and platitudes most American Christians get weekly (and weakly) from their pulpits. — Peter Kreeft

Buddhism is a hundred times as realistic as Christianity it is part of its living heritage that it is able to face problems objectively and coolly; it is the product of long centuries of philosophical speculation. — Friedrich Nietzsche

To me, as a visual artist, I don't want to get into the theory of Buddhism. There are many Buddhism theories and they fight each other, like Christians as well. — Hiroshi Sugimoto

People Writing About Buddhist Philosophy

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Read quotes by Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama
quotes on life, love and kindness

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Read quotes by Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma

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Read quotes by Koo Stark

Koo Stark

10 96
Read quotes by Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah
quotes on death, meditation and makkah

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Read quotes by Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman
quotes on life, love and leadership

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Read quotes by Dogen

Dogen
quotes on money, nature

137 2494

More Buddhist Philosophy Quotes

I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go. — Sheng-yen

What yoga philosophy and all the great Buddhist teachings tells us is that solidity is a creation of the ordinary mind and that there never was anything permanent to begin with that we could hold on to. Life would be much easier and substantially less painful if we lived with the knowledge of impermanence as the only constant. — Donna Farhi

If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him. — Buddha

To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. — Buddha

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. — Buddha

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

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. — Buddha

All philosophies are mental fabrications. There has never been a single doctrine by which one could enter the true essence of things. — Akkineni Nagarjuna

From the high spiritual flights of the Vedanta philosophy, of which the latest discoveries of science seem like echoes, to the low ideas of idolatry with its multifarious mythology, the agnosticism of the Buddhists and the atheism of the Jains, each and all have a place in the Hinduism religion. — Swami Vivekananda

The gift of truth excels all other gifts. — Buddha

Believe nothing, No matter where you read it, Or who has said it, Not even if I have said it, Unless it agrees with your own reason And your own common sense. — Buddha

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. — Nhat Hanh

If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him. — Buddha

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

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

Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. — Buddha

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. — Buddha

I do a lot of reading on Buddhist philosophy, and a Buddhist nun named Pema Chödrön talks a lot about acceptance. It's one of the main tenets of Buddhism - accepting that what is, is. The root of our suffering is when we just don't want to accept a truth. We want something to be different than it is. — Sara Bareilles

The Dali Lama and other notable Buddhist teachers have now indicated that since the world has plunged into a dark age, the information available in the tantras, which include the very, very powerful Kundalini release techniques, should be made available to the public. — Frederick Lenz

I practice Buddhist philosophy and contemplation but I don't know if I'm more of anything. — Goldie Hawn

The one philosophy or religion I find I am most close to is the Buddhist one. I think it is the one that respects others and the one that doesn't say that this is the only way. I think happiness is the moment when - if you've forgotten those little things - they suddenly come back into focus for you. — Penelope Cruz

I never really wanted to have a Guru, I was more interested in Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and had a psychological background in college, but he had so much love. To be with him, there was nowhere else to be and nothing else to do. Nothing he taught, philosophy or meditation, are the things I went to India to look for, or was interested in, but he sort of jumped into my heart and then pulled, he pried it open. — Surya Das

To me this technical acceptation seems not applicable here, where we have to deal with the simplest moral precepts, and not with psychological niceties of Buddhist philosophy. — Max Muller

In the world of Buddhist mind, in the advanced states, we go beyond time, space, life, death and Newsweek. — Frederick Lenz

Tantric Buddhists don't believe in sin. Stupidity, yes, meaning we make ourselves or others suffer. — Frederick Lenz

'The Last Airbender' is genetically engineered for me. I love martial arts. I study it. The movie's based on a lot of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy. I was raised Hindu. — M. Night Shyamalan

My experience with forgiveness is that it sort of comes spontaneously at a certain point and to try to force it it's not really forgiveness. It's Buddhist philosophy or something spiritual jargon that you're trying to live up to but you're just using it against yourself as a reason why you're not okay. — Pema Chodron

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