Buddha was not a Christian, but Jesus would have made a good Buddhist. — Ray Wylie Hubbard
Buddha means awareness, the awareness of body and mind that prevents evil from arising in either. — Bodhidharma
I see no contradiction between Buddhism and Christianity ... I intend to become as good a Buddhist as I can. — Thomas Merton
What is most important is to go deep into ourselves and discover the loving kindness and compassion of the buddha within - the awakened nature we all possess. — Shinjo Ito
Buddhism teaches you to embrace change. — Koo Stark
The complete teachings of all Buddhas - past, present, and future - are to be found within the essence of every human being. — Huineng
Doing good to others is the # one great Universal Religion — Swami Vivekananda
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
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
Be kind to all beings, this is more meritorious than bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage and donating money. — Guru Nanak
If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. — Linji Yixuan
Goodwill toward all beings is the true religion; cherish in your hearts boundless goodwill to all that lives. — Buddha
The good man is the friend of all living things. — Mahatma Gandhi
In the monastery of your heart, you have a temple where all Buddhas unite. — Milarepa
Short Good Buddhist Quotes
The mouth prays to Buddha, but the heart is full of evil. — Vietnamese Proverbs
Zen Buddhism is a discipline where belief isn't necessary. — David Sylvian
Instead of becoming the world’s expert on Buddhism, just let go, let go, let go. — Ajahn Sumedho
I haven't got any Buddhism. I live by letting things happen. — Dogen
I describe myself as a simple Buddhist monk. No more, no less. — Dalai Lama
My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. — Dalai Lama
Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, have few desires. — Lao Tzu
If you find someone with wisdom, good judgment, and good actions; make him a companion. — Buddha
Seek perfection of character. Be faithful. Endeavor. Respect others. Refrain from violent behaviour. — Gichin Funakoshi
Good Buddhist Image Quotes
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.
Real Buddhist Quotes
There is no fire like passion
No crime like hatred,
No sorrow like separation,
No sickness like hunger,
And no joy like the joy of freedom. — Buddha
Master your words. Master your thoughts. Never allow your body to do harm. Follow these three roads with purity And you will find yourself upon the one way, The way of wisdom. — 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. — Buddha
Persist to overcome. He that can't endure the bad, will not live to see the good.
Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. — Buddha
How easy it is to see your brother's faults, How hard it is to face your own. — Buddha
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze. — Buddha
Just do what works for you, because there will always be someone who thinks differently.
A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals the secret of some hidden treasure. — Dalai Lama
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love. — Buddha
Let a man avoid evil deeds as a man who loves life avoids poison. — Buddha
There is no fire like passion: there is no evil and hatred. — Buddha
Buddhist Quotes
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle. Happiness never decreases by being shared. — Buddha
Follow the three R's: - Respect for self. - Respect for others. - Responsibility for all your actions. — Dalai Lama
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
The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass. — Dogen
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
Never regret a day in your life: good days give happiness, bad days give experience, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories.
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
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
Three things cannot long be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. — Confucius
Buddhist Life Quotes
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality. — Dalai Lama
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
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
Whatever is good for you soul, do that.
Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. — Nhat Hanh
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings. — Buddha
Realization is not knowledge about the universe, but the living experience of the nature of the universe. Until we have such living experience, we remain dependent on examples, and subject to their limits. — Namkhai Norbu
In a controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves. — Abraham Joshua Heschel
Buddhism Quotes
If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it? — Dogen
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
Try no to resist the changes that come in your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? How Rumi Can Change Your Life?
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
Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship. — Buddha
Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else. — Shunryu Suzuki
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
Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass, crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze. — Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Wise Buddhist Quotes
Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. — Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
The answer lies within ourselves. If we can't find peace and happiness there, it's not going to come from the outside. — Tenzin Palmo
You are never alone or helpless. The force that guides the stars guides you too. — Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
There is a battle of two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, lies, inferiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy and truth. The wolf that wins? The one you feed.
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
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error. — Buddha
Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do. — Buddha
You have to fight through the bad days in order to earn the best days.
Whatever we do lays a seed in our deepest consciousness, and one day that seed will grow. — Sakyong Mipham
For ages this idea has been proclaimed in the consummately wise teachings of religion, probably not alone as a means of insuring peace and harmony among men, but as a deeply founded truth. The Buddhist expresses it in one way, the Christian in another, but both say the same: We are all one. — Nikola Tesla
The fragrance of sandalwood and rosebay does not travel far. But the fragrance of virtue rises to the heavens. — Buddha
The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood. — Buddha
Buddhist Philosophy Quotes
"All conditioned things are impermanent" - when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. — Buddha
I follow four dictates: face it, accept it, deal with it, then let it go. — Sheng-yen
No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
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
Friendship picks you up when the world lets you down.
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
Daily Buddhist Quotes
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. — Buddha
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two. — Buddha
Through violence, you may 'solve' one problem, but you sow the seeds for another. — Dalai Lama
Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law. — Buddha
Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. — Buddha
At a personal level, as a Buddhist practitioner, I deliberately visualize and think about death in my daily practice. Death is not separated from our lives. Due to my research and thoughts about death, I have some guarantee and some conviction that it will be a positive experience. — Dalai Lama
Sackcloth and kelp soup are not required, but the Buddhist reminder of the need to live lightly on the earth is a helpful guide to the daily habits and needs of us all. — Tom Brokaw
Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence. — Buddha
Buddhist Meditation Quotes
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
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
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
Buddhist Monk Quotes
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. — Nhat Hanh
You haven't partied until you've partied at dawn in complete silence with Buddhist monks. — Cameron Diaz
Anger and hatred are the real enemies that we must confront and defeat, not the 'enemies' who appear from time to time in our lives. — Dalai Lama
No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change. — Nhat Hanh
Buddhist monks have known for centuries that meditation can change the mind. Now we are inspired by His Holiness to examine with our technology the precise brain changes that occur with practice... The unique collaboration on meditation is just beginning. — Richard Davidson
I can't tell how moving it is to open my email and see a picture of 1,500 Buddhist monks and nuns in the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh forming a human 350 against the backdrop of the melting glaciers. This is not their fault, and yet they're stepping up to be part of the solution. — Bill McKibben
He who can curb his wrath as soon as it arises, as a timely antidote will check snake's venom that so quickly spreads, - such a monk gives up the here and the beyond, just as a serpent sheds its worn-out skin. — Buddha
When I was a teenager, I wanted to be in a group, or I wanted to work for Greenpeace, or I wanted to be a Buddhist monk. Those were the only three things I really wanted to do. I was doing some sort of soul searching in life. — Dave Wakeling
Originally, I was interested in athletic pursuits like snowboarding, martial arts and surfing. When I went to the Himalayas and met a number of Buddhist monks I was introduced to a new way of looking at life. — Frederick Lenz
There is, Oh Monks, a not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded. Monks, if that unborn, not-become, not-made, not-compounded were not, there would be no escape from this here that is born, become, made and compounded. — Buddha
Buddhism Happiness Quotes
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 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
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. — Buddha
All that we are is the result of what we have thought; what we think we become. — Buddha
Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace. — Nhat Hanh
Take a couple of days by yourself and rent a nice cabin in some nice, happy place. Stay a day or two and meditate and take walks in areas that feel good to you. Find out who you are again. Remember. — Frederick Lenz
There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant. — Buddha
I am against conversion (to Buddhism). In my speech at UN, the first thing I said was that I am for conversion, but not from one organised religion to another, but from misery to happiness, from bondage to liberation. — S. N. Goenka
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
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
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
Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good. — Buddha
Attention leads to immortality. Carelessness leads to death. Those who pay attention will not die, while the careless are as good as dead already. — Buddha
Conquer anger by love, evil by good; Conquer the miser with liberality, and the liar with truth. — Buddha
When Buddhists say, "A bodhisattva fears not the result, but only the cause," they mean that we must expend the bulk of our energy planting good roots today, rather than fretting about the plants that are already growing from the roots we planted in the past. — Hsing Yun
Easy to do are things that are bad and harmful to oneself. But exceedingly difficult to do are things that are good and beneficial. — Buddha
I do some compassionate mindfulness every day. It's like a Buddhist thing. I tell myself that I'm doing a good job, that kind of thing. It makes me feel better. — Maria Bamford
With his mind free from the inflow of thoughts and from restlessness, by abandoning both good and evil, an alert man knows no fear. — Buddha
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. — Buddha
The point of the spiritual revolution is not to become a good Buddhist, but to become a wise and compassionate human being, to awaken from our life of complacency and ignorance and to be a buddha. — Noah Levine
One who previously made bad karma, but who reforms and creates good karma, brightens the world like the moon appearing from behind a cloud. — Buddha
A good friend who points out mistakes is to be respected, as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure. — Buddha
A kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit. — Buddha
Let him the intelligent man admonish, let him teach, let him forbid what is improper ! - he will be beloved of the good, by the bad he will be hated. — Buddha
A sick body with a good heart is more beneficial to future lives than a fit, healthy body that is used for self-cherishing. — Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
Taoist chanting, Confucian chanting, Christian chanting, Buddhist chanting don't matter. Chanting Coca Cola, Coca Cola, Coca Cola … can be just as good if you keep a clear mind. But if you don't keep a clear mind, and are only following your thinking as you mouth the words, even the Buddha cannot help you. — Seungsahn
It is good to remember that the goal of Buddhism is to create Buddhas, not Buddhists, as the goal of Christianity is to create Christs, not Christians. In the same vein, my teachings are not meant to acquire followers or imitators, but to awaken beings to eternal truth and thus to awakened life and living. — Adyashanti
In four ways ... should one who flatters be understood as a foe in the guise of a friend: He approves of his friend's evil deeds, he disapproves his friend's good deeds, he praises him in his presence, he speaks ill of him in his absence. — Buddha
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. A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he reveals a secret of hidden treasure. — Buddha
There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it. To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one's own in the midst of abundance. — Buddha
The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups. A good principle was never found solitary in any breast. — Buddha
The mentor can be identified by four things: by restraining you from wrongdoing, guiding you towards good actions, telling you what you ought to know, and showing you the path to heaven. — Buddha
From a Buddhist point of view, this is standing the truth on its head by considering goods as more important than people and consumption as more important than creative activity. It means shifting the emphasis from the worker to the product of work, that is, from the human to the sub-human, surrender to the forces of evil. — E. F. Schumacher
We don’t sit in meditation to become good meditators. We sit in meditation so that we’ll be more awake in our lives. — Pema Chodron
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. — Dalai Lama
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
As a single drop of water fills a bucket, so do small deeds of evil; as a single drop of water fills a bucket, so do small deeds of good. — Buddha
Not by mere eloquence, nor by handsome appearance, does a man become good-natured, should he be jealous, selfish and deceitful. — Buddha
The man who foolishly does me wrong, I will return to him the protection of my most ungrudging love; and the more evil comes from him, the more good shall go from me. — Buddha
In Conclusion
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