Wise Words

Day 251

“Are you a God?” the people asked.
Buddha replied, “No.”
“An Angel?”
“No.”
“A saint?”
“No.”
“Then what are you?”
Buddha answered, “I am awake.”

I added another page to my Ask Rajni collection of quotes and affirmations section today to include quotes from some great leaders and thinkers. Please take a look at my Inspiring Quotes page, I will continue to add more quotes, so check back often.

Creating the new page inspired me to write a post with quotes from one of the most quoted and misattributed people today. I’m not sure I got it all right…but whether these quotes are actually his or not, they are noteworthy.

Gautama Buddha was born circa 563 B.C.E., and lived well into his eighties. He achieved enlightenment at a young age, and spent more than half his life teaching his doctrine. Here’s some of the things he had to say.

Buddha, in his own words:

On Thoughts

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.”

“Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts.”

“To understand everything is to forgive everything.” – misattributed to Buddha

“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.”

“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.”

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

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

On Life

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help you are freed.”

“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.”

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

“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.”

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”

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

On Purpose

“Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.”

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

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

On Action

“Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds”

“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.”

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

“When a bird is alive, it eats ants, but when the bird is dead, ants eat the bird. One tree makes a million match sticks, but only one match stick is needed to burn a million trees. Time and circumstance can change at any moment. Do not devalue or hurt anyone in life. You may be powerful today, but remember Time is more powerful than you. So be good and do good.”

On Enlightenment

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

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”

“True love is born from understanding.”

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

“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.” – misattributed to Buddha

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

Thank you, thank you, thank you!