Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was a Indian spiritual teacher during the 5th century B.C.. He was born into a royal family, but later renounced his wealth and worldly possessions to seek spiritual enlightenment. The most influential spiritual leaders of all time, Buddha, was a philosopher who spoke extensively about Mind, Peace , Life, Love, Happiness and Death.
Buddha was considered by many “the enlightened one” who, through his meditation, found peace and answers to many of every day life’s problems and complex questions. Buddha is associated with focusing on mind, kindness, love, patience, and generosity.
After several years of intense spiritual practice and meditation, Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, and became known as the “awakened one.” He then spent the rest of his life traveling and teaching the principles for peaceful Life, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which emphasize the importance of compassion, mindfulness, and non-attachment as a means of achieving freedom from suffering.
Buddha’s teachings have had a profound impact on the world.
Achievements of Buddha
His teachings have had a profound impact on the world, and his achievements include:
- Attaining enlightenment: After years of spiritual practice and meditation, Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, which is considered a significant achievement in Buddhist tradition.
- Founding Buddhism: Buddha’s teachings became the foundation of Buddhism, which is now one of the major world religions, with millions of followers around the globe.
- Teaching the Four Noble Truths: Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths, which emphasize the importance of recognizing suffering, understanding its causes, realizing that it can be overcome, and following the Eightfold Path to achieve freedom from suffering.
- Propagating the Eightfold Path: Buddha also taught the Eightfold Path, which includes right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration, as the path to spiritual awakening and liberation.
- Spreading compassion and mindfulness: Buddha emphasized the importance of compassion, mindfulness, and non-attachment, which have become integral parts of Buddhist practice and philosophy.
- Inspiring countless followers: Buddha’s teachings and example have inspired countless followers over the centuries, and have had a significant impact on the spiritual and cultural history of the world.
Teachings of Buddha
Buddha, also known as Siddhartha Gautama, was an ancient spiritual leader who founded the religion of Buddhism. His teachings, known as the Dharma, are based on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Here are some of the key teachings of Buddha:
- The Four Noble Truths: Buddha’s first and most fundamental teaching is that life is characterized by suffering (dukkha). He identified the cause of suffering as attachment and desire, and taught that it is possible to overcome suffering by following the Eightfold Path.
- The Eightfold Path: The Eightfold Path is a set of guidelines for achieving enlightenment and ending suffering. It includes right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
- Non-attachment: Buddha taught that attachment to material things and desires is the cause of suffering. He encouraged detachment from material possessions and the ego in order to achieve enlightenment.
- Compassion: Buddha taught that compassion is essential for spiritual growth and happiness. He emphasized the importance of treating all beings with kindness and respect.
- Impermanence: Buddha taught that everything is impermanent and constantly changing. He encouraged his followers to accept the impermanence of life and to focus on the present moment.
- Mindfulness: Buddha emphasized the importance of mindfulness, or being present in the moment, as a way to achieve peace and happiness. He taught that mindfulness can be developed through meditation and other spiritual practices.
- Karma: Buddha taught that our actions have consequences, and that we can create positive or negative karma depending on the choices we make. He encouraged his followers to act with compassion and mindfulness in order to create positive karma and achieve enlightenment.
Buddha’s teachings emphasize the importance of compassion, non-attachment, mindfulness, and the pursuit of enlightenment as a way to overcome suffering and achieve lasting happiness.
Inspiring Stories of Buddha
Here are some of inspiring stories from the life of Buddha:
- The Four Sights: As a young prince, Siddhartha lived a life of luxury and privilege. One day, he decided to venture outside of the palace and was struck by four sights: an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a monk. These experiences led him to realize the impermanence and suffering of life, and inspired him to seek a path to enlightenment.
- The Bodhi Tree: After years of practicing meditation and self-discipline, Siddhartha sat under a Bodhi tree and vowed not to leave until he achieved enlightenment. He endured physical and mental hardships, but ultimately reached a state of deep understanding and became known as the Buddha, or the “enlightened one.”
- The Compassionate Elephant: Once, when the Buddha was walking through a village, he was confronted by a drunk and angry elephant. Rather than reacting with fear or aggression, the Buddha remained calm and showed compassion for the suffering animal. He spoke to the elephant in a gentle voice, and the animal became calm and peaceful. This story is often cited as an example of the power of mindfulness and compassion in difficult situations.
- The Great Renunciation: At the age of 29, Siddhartha gave up his royal status and wealth to live a life of austerity and meditation, eventually becoming the Buddha.
- The Temptations of Mara: While meditating, the demon Mara attempted to tempt the Buddha with visions of desire, fear, and doubt. The Buddha remained steadfast, and Mara was defeated.
- The Buddha and Angulimala: Angulimala was a notorious bandit who wore a necklace of human fingers. The Buddha approached him and convinced him to give up his violent ways and become a monk.
- The Buddha and Sunita: Sunita was a low-caste person who wanted to become a monk but was rejected by others because of his status. The Buddha accepted him and helped him achieve enlightenment.
- The Buddha and the Disabled Person: A man with a disability asked the Buddha why he was born that way. The Buddha replied that it was a result of past actions, but that it was possible to overcome suffering through right actions and mindfulness.
- The Buddha and the Angry Brahmin: A Brahmin approached the Buddha and berated him for not having a caste, but the Buddha remained calm and showed compassion for the man’s suffering.
- The Buddha and the Skeptic: A skeptic asked the Buddha if he could see the results of his teachings. The Buddha replied that he could see the results in those who had been transformed by his teachings and practice.
- The Buddha’s Last Words: The Buddha’s final words were “All things are impermanent; strive on with diligence,” reminding us to stay mindful and focused on our path to enlightenment.
These stories illustrate the Buddha’s compassion, wisdom, and ability to overcome obstacles and help others achieve inner peace and enlightenment.
Buddha’s Quotes
In honor of Buddha we are presenting here the most powerful inspiring quotes from Buddhas teachings about Mind, life, love, peace and happiness.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
The mind is everything. What you think you become.
We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
“Life is suffering.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment is the greatest wealth.”
“It is better to do nothing, than to do what is wrong. For whatever you do, you do to yourself.”
“Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy.”
“The way to happiness is: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, give much. Fill your life with love. Do as you would be done by.”
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
“Health is the best gift, contentment the best wealth, trust the best kinsman, nirvana the greatest joy. Drink the nectar of the dharma in the depths of meditation, and become free from fear and sin.”
“Nothing remains without change.”
“One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
“What we think, we become.”
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
“The root of suffering is attachment.”
“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
“Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.”
“There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with (-ve) desires.”
“Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit.”
“Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follow a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.”
“One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand men on the battlefield. Be victorious over yourself and not over others.”
“Train your eyes and ears; train your nose and tongue. The senses are good friends when they are trained. Train your body in deeds, train your tongue in words, train your mind in thoughts. This training will take you beyond sorrow.”
“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?”
“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”
“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance.”
“Leave behind confused reactions and become patient as the earth; unmoved by anger, unshaken as a pillar, unperturbed as a clear and quiet pool.”
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
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.
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
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.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.
I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
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.
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.
It is better to travel well than to arrive.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.
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 jug fills drop by drop.
“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
“You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
“People with opinions just go around bothering each other.”
“Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except your self.”
“If you knew what I know about the power of giving, you would not let a single meal pass without sharing it in some way.”
“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”
“To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.”
“If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone.”
“May all beings have happy minds.”
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”
“Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.”
“Wear your ego like a loose fitting garment.”
“A jug fills drop by drop.”
“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”
“Give, even if you only have a little.”
“Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker.”
“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.”
“One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
“True love is born from understanding.”
“The greatest gift is to give people your enlightenment, to share it. It has to be the greatest.”
“What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.”
“There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.”
“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
“Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.”
“A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again. But if he is peaceful, loving, and fearless, then he is in truth called wise.”
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
“In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast.”
“Love is a gift of one’s inner most soul to another so both can be whole.”
“Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.”
“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”
“Let all-embracing thoughts for all beings be yours.”
“If we fail to look after others when they need help, who will look after us?”
“As a water bead on a lotus leaf, as water on a red lily, does not adhere, so the sage does not adhere to the seen, the heard, or the sensed.”
“Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.”
“Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.”
“One who acts on truth is happy in this world and beyond.”
“Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.”
“Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”
“Kindness should become the natural way of life, not the exception.”
“Not by rituals and resolutions, nor by much learning, nor by celibacy, nor even by meditation can you find the supreme, immortal joy of nirvana until you extinguish your self-will.”
“Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves.”
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”
“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast. A wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”
“Don’t run after pleasure and neglect the practice of meditation. If you forget the goal of life and get caught in the pleasures of the world, you will come to envy those who put meditation first.”
“Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”
“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
“Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.”
“Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.”
“In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength.”
“She who knows life flows, feels no wear or tear, needs no mending or repair.”
“Better it is to live one day seeing the rise and fall of things than to live a hundred years without ever seeing the rise and fall of things.”
“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“Being deeply learned and skilled, being well trained and using well-spoken words: this is good luck.”
“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”
“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
“Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom.”
“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”
“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.”
“He who sits alone, sleeps alone, and walks alone, who is strenuous and subdues himself alone, will find delight in the solitude of the forest.”
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
“I do not dispute with the world; rather it is the world that disputes with me.”
“Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.”
“My doctrine is not a doctrine but just a vision. I have not given you any set rules, I have not given you a system.”
“It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.”
“The tongue like a sharp knife. It kills without drawing blood.”
“I am the miracle.”
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”
“Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.”
“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”
“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”
“Life is so very hard. How can we be anything but kind?”
“Live every act fully, as if it were your last.”
“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.”
“Meditate. Do not delay, lest you later regret it.”
“Be a lamp for yourselves. Be your own refuge. Seek for no other. All things must pass. Strive on diligently. Don’t give up.”
“A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune, from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated — this is the greatest blessing.”
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
“Everything is based on mind, is led by mind, is fashioned by mind. If you speak and act with a polluted mind, suffering will follow you, as the wheels of the oxcart follow the footsteps of the ox.”
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
“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.”
“The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”
“There is no fire like passion. There is no shark like hatred. There is no snare like folly. There is no torrent like greed.”
“It is easy to see the faults of others, but difficult to see one’s own faults. One shows the faults of others like chaff winnowed in the wind, but one conceals one’s own faults as a cunning gambler conceals his dice.”
“Nothing is forever except change.”
“Offend in neither word nor deed. Eat with moderation. Live in your heart. Seek the highest consciousness. Master yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the awakened.”
“Know from the rivers in clefts and in crevices: those in small channels flow noisily, the great flow silent. Whatever’s not full makes noise. Whatever is full is quiet.”
“If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts happiness follows him like his never-departing shadow.”
“The one who has conquered himself is a far greater hero than he who has defeated a thousand times a thousand men.”
