Gautam Buddha is also known as Siddhartha Buddha was a sage who started to impact thousands of lives in the sixth to fourth BCE (Before Common Era) with his profound spiritual wisdom. The word ‘Buddha’ means the enlightened one or the awakened one. Inspiring millions of people even today, Buddha’s wisdom in the older days was kept alive through the oral tradition. It was only after 400 years of his death, that the first manuscript was written. Buddha through his wisdom and teachings left some really inspiring lessons for all. Following and internalizing these quotes is known to transform the lives of individuals. It brings focus and peace of mind. In this article, we’ll put light on the Best Gautam Buddha Quotes to Inspire You.
Best Gautam Buddha Quotes to Inspire You
Here are some of the best Gautam Buddha quotes that will not only inspire you but also transform your mind and life immensely:
Focus on the Present Moment
- “What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.”
- “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
- “Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters the most.”
- “Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.”
- “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”
A wide range of Buddhist texts and teachers make the same point, and it has become central to the modern-day mindfulness movement. Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most important scriptural texts in Buddhism, preaches the same dictums as the mindfulness movement. It includes “therapeutic presence,” or nonjudgmental, present-moment attention to body sensations.
On Achieving Enlightenment
- “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
- “Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”
- “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
- “What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.”
- “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.”
Enlightenment is a state of perfect knowledge or wisdom, combined with infinite compassion. In Buddhism, this form of knowledge is the final antidote when it comes to suffering. Buddha was once asked some questions by a man about cosmology. He replied, by picking up a handful of leaves, ‟Are there more leaves in my hands, or in the forest?” ‟There are more in the forest, of course,” replied the man. The Buddha went on: ‟Well, the leaves in my hand represent the knowledge which leads to the end of suffering”. This was his way of showing how certain questions are superfluous. If one truly wants Enlightenment they must focus on it solely and gather knowledge relevant to their quest.
On Love
- “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
- “True love is born from understanding.”
- “You only lose what you cling to.”
- “Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.”
- “You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
For the Gautam Buddha, love is one of the paths to full spiritual liberation. There are Four Elements of True Love.
- Loving-kindness (Maitri) – the desire to offer happiness,
- Compassion (karuna) – the desire to remove suffering from the other person,
- Joy (mudita) – the desire to bring joy to people around you, and,
- Equanimity (upeksha) – the desire to accept everything and not to discriminate.
Mind
- “Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”
- “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.”
- “All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon…. If a man speaks or acts with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.”
- “There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.”
Buddhist theories of the mind center on the doctrine of not-self (Pāli anatta, Skt. anātma), which postulates that human beings are reducible to the physical and psychological constituents and processes that comprise them.
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Anger
- “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
- “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.”
- “Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind.”
- “Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”
Buddhist psychology brands anger as one of the six root kleshas, which are detrimental emotional states that cloud the mind, and make us do “unwholesome” actions, therefore causing our suffering.
Compassion
- “As rain falls equally on the just and the unjust, do not burden your heart with judgment but rain your kindness equally on all.”
- “Give, even if you only have a little.”
- “Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to others.”
- “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”
Pain
“Pain is certain, suffering is optional.”
Gautam Buddha quotes taught everyone how to transcend the individual self through the attainment of Nirvana. Millions of people across the world still follow Buddha’s teachings for embarking on the path and reaching the destination of Nirvana.
