Pain in life is inevitable but suffering is not. Pain is what the world does to you, suffering is what you do to yourself [by the way you think about the 'pain' you receive]. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. [You can always be grateful that the pain is not worse in quality, quantity, frequency, duration, etc]
Gautama BuddhaYou yourself must make an effort. Buddhas are only show the way. The thoughtful who enter the way are freed from the bondage of defilements.
Gautama BuddhaThese teachings are like a raft, to be abandoned once you have crossed the flood. Since you should abandon even good states of mind generated by these teachings, How much more so should you abandon bad states of mind!
Gautama BuddhaThere is a way to be purified, to overcome sorrows and grief, to release suffering, to secure the right path to realize nirvana. This is to be mindful.
Gautama BuddhaOne moment can change a day, One day can change a life and One life can change the world
Gautama BuddhaIf people become accustomed to lying, they will unconsciously commit every possible wrong deed. Before they can act wickedly, they must lie and once they begin to lie they will act wickedly without concern.
Gautama BuddhaRelease old concepts and energies that keep you in self-punishment patterns. Release old stories and create from a place of love and self-validation. You are worth it!
Gautama BuddhaInflowing thoughts come to an end in those who are ever alert of mind, training themselves night and day, and ever intent on nirvana
Gautama BuddhaHow will you become free? With a quiet mind Come into that empty house, your heart, And feel the joy of the way Beyond the world. Look within - The rising and the falling.
Gautama BuddhaBesides the respect of the lives of human beings, all the animals and plants should be on the list too. That is the real humanitarianism.
Gautama BuddhaOnly within our body, with its heart and mind, can bondage and suffering be found, and only here can we find true liberation.
Gautama BuddhaDo not have as friends harmful people, the wise person does not associate with the worst of people. Have as friends virtuous people, the wise person associates with the best of people.
Gautama BuddhaYou will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger... Let a man overcome anger by love.
Gautama BuddhaIf 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.
Gautama BuddhaThe past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There's only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment
Gautama BuddhaFor fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.
Gautama BuddhaLittle by little a person becomes evil, as a water pot is filled by drops of water... Little by little a person becomes good, as a water pot is filled by drops of water.
Gautama BuddhaWhen things are going well, be mindful of adversityWhen prosperous, be mindful of povertyWhen loved, be mindful of thoughtfulnessWhen respected, be mindful of humility
Gautama BuddhaFollow the truth of the way. Reflect upon it. Make it your own. Live it. It will always sustain you.
Gautama BuddhaAll things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Gautama BuddhaOne should strive to understand what underlies sufferings and diseases - and aim for health and well-being while gaining in the Path.
Gautama BuddhaDo not accept what you hear by report, do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement because it is found in our books, nor because it is in accord with your belief, nor because it is the saying of your teacher. Be lamps unto yourselves. Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall rely upon themselves only and not look for assistance to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the topmost height.
Gautama BuddhaThe Truth is not Arbitrary or a Matter of Opinion, but can be Investigated, and Those who Earnestly Search for the Truth will Find It. The Truth is Hidden to the Blind, but he who has the Mental Eye Sees the Truth.
Gautama BuddhaLet the wise one control his thoughts, for they are difficult to perceive, often elusive, and they rush about frantically: a mind well controlled achieves peace and happiness.
Gautama BuddhaAny material form, or thought, or feeling, past or present, should be regarded as, 'This is not mine, this is not what I am, this is not my self.'
Gautama BuddhaFor soon the body is discarded, Then what does it feel? A useless log of wood, it lies on the ground, Then what does it know? Your worst enemy cannot harm you As much as your own thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, No one can help you as much, Not even your father or your mother.
Gautama BuddhaTo cease from evil, to do good, and to purify the mind yourself, this is the teaching of all the Buddhas.
Gautama BuddhaHe 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.
Gautama BuddhaLet your diet be spare, your wants moderate, your needs few. So, living modestly, with no distracting desires, you will find content.
Gautama BuddhaAll the holy words you read and all the holy words you speak are as nothing if you do not act upon them. Even if you read little and say little but live the right way, forsaking craving, hatred and delusion, you will know the truth and find calmness and will show others the path.
Gautama BuddhaLet the disciple cultivate love without measure towards all beings. Let him cultivate towards the whole world, above, below, around, a heart of love unstinted....For in all the world this state of heart is best.
Gautama BuddhaIt is within this fathoms-long carcass, with its mind and its notions, that I declare there is the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world and the path leading to the cessation of the world.
Gautama Buddha