Buddhist Quotes

 Mind

 

The mind is excitable and unsteady; it is difficult to control and to restrain. The wise one trains his mind to be upright as a Fletcher straightens an arrow.

 

As a fish quivers when taken out of its watery home and thrown on to dry ground, so does the mind quiver when it is taken out of the sensual world to escape from the realm of Mara

The mind is difficult to control; swiftly and lightly, it moves and lands wherever it pleases. It is good to tame the mind, for a well-tamed mind brings happiness.

The mind is very difficult to see, very delicate and subtle; it moves and lands wherever it pleases. The wise one should guard his mind, for a guarded mind brings happiness.

 The mind wanders far and moves about alone: it is non-material; it lies in the cave (chamber) of the heart. Those who control their mind will be free from the bonds of Mara.

 If a man's mind is unsteady, if he is ignorant of the true Dhamma, and if his faith is wavering, then his knowledge will never be perfect.

 If a man's mind is free from passion, if he is free from ill will, if he has abandoned both good and evil, and if he is vigilant, for such a man there is no danger

 A thief may harm a thief; an enemy may harm an enemy; but a wrongly directed mind can do oneself far greater harm.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the way to the Deathless (Nibbana); unmindful is the way to Death. Those who are mindful do not die; those who are not mindful are as if already dead.

 Fully comprehending this, the wise, who are mindful, rejoice in being mindful and find delight in the domain of the Noble Ones (Ariyas).

The wise, constantly cultivating Tranquility and Insight Development Practice, being ever mindful and steadfastly striving, realize Nibbana: Nibbana, which is free from the bonds of yoga; Nibbana, the Incomparable!

 

Through diligence, mindfulness, discipline (with regard to moral precepts), and control of his senses, let the man of wisdom make (of himself) an island which no flood can overwhelm.

Mindful among st the negligent, highly vigilant among st the drowsy, the man of wisdom advances like a race-horse, leaving the jade behind.

Through mindfulness (in doing meritorious deeds) Magha became king of the devas. Mindfulness is always praised, but negligence is always blamed.

 A bhikkhu who takes delight in mindfulness and sees danger in negligence, advances like fire, burning up all fetters, great and small.

 

Fool

 Long is the night to one who is wakeful; long is (the journey of) one yojana to the traveller who is tired; long is samsara (round of rebirths) to the fool, who is ignorant of the true Dhamma (the Teaching of the Buddha).

The foolish and the ignorant give themselves over to negligence; whereas the wise treasure mindfulness as a precious jewel.

If a person seeking a companion cannot find one who is better than or equal to him, let him resolutely go on alone; there can be no companionship with a fool.

The fool who knows that he is a fool can, for that reason, be a wise man; but the fool who thinks that he is wise is, indeed, called a fool.

An intelligent man, even though he is associated with a wise man only for a moment, quickly understands the Dhamma, just as the tongue knows the taste of soup.

That deed is not well done, if one has to repent for having done it, and if, with a tearful face, one has to weep as a result of that deed.

The skill of a fool can only harm him; it destroys his merit and his wisdom (lit., it severs his head).

The foolish bhikkhu desires praise for qualities he does not have, precedence among bhikkhus, authority in the monasteries, and veneration from those unrelated to him.

Let both laymen and bhikkhus think that things are done because of me; let them obey me in all matters, great and small." Such being the thoughts of the fool, his greed and his pride grow.

Indeed, the path that leads to worldly gain is one and the Path that leads to Nibbana is another. Fully comprehending this, the bhikkhu, the disciple of the Buddha, should not take delight in worldly gain and honour, but devote himself to solitude, detachment and the realization of Nibbana.

 

Evil

One should make haste in doing good deeds; one should restrain one's mind from evil; for the mind of one who is slow in doing good tends to take delight in doing evil.

 If a man does evil, he should not do it again and again; he should not take delight in it; the accumulation of evil leads to dukkha.

 If a man does what is good, he should do it again and again; he should take delight in it; the accumulation of merit leads to happiness.

 Even an evil person may still find happiness so long as his evil deed does not bear fruit; but when his evil deed does bear fruit he will meet with evil consequences.

Even a good person may still meet with suffering so long as his good deed does not bear fruit: but when it does bear fruit he will enjoy the benefits of his good deed.

One should not think lightly of doing evil, imagining "A little will not affect me"; just as a water-jar is filled up by falling drops of rain, so also, the fool is filled up with evil, by accumulating it little by little.

ne should not think lightly of doing good, imagining 'A little will not affect me'; just as a water-jar is filled up by falling drops of rain, so also, the wise one is filled up with merit, by accumulating it little by little.

Just as a wealthy merchant with few attendants avoids a dangerous road, just as one who desires to go on living avoids poison, so also, one should avoid evil.

If there is no wound on the hand, one may handle poison; poison does not affect one who has no wound; there can be no evil for one who has no evil intention.

If one wrongs a person who should not be wronged, one who is pure and is free from moral defilement, viz., an arahat, the evil falls back upon that fool, like fine dust thrown against the wind.

Some are reborn as human beings, the wicked are reborn in a place of continuous torment (niraya). The righteous go to the deva world, and those who are free from moral intoxicants (viz., the arahats) realize Nibbana.

Not in the sky, nor in the middle of the ocean, nor in the cave of a mountain, nor anywhere else, is there a place, where one may escape from the consequences of an evil deed.

 Not in the sky, nor in the middle of the ocean, nor in the cave of a mountain, nor anywhere else, is there a place where one cannot be oppressed by Death.