Buddha

Buddha, (Siddhartha Gautama) (568 -483 BC) was a great religious teacher who lived in India five hundred years before the birth of Christ. Buddha means ‘enlightened’.

The son of a rajah, Buddha was raised in luxury but was deeply troubled by the suffering he saw around him, and wanted to bring peace to his people’s minds. At 30, he left his family and all possessions and for 6 years lived the life of a hermit – praying, fasting and exercising rigorously. Through contemplation he found answers which became the basis of the Buddhist religion.

There have since been 28 ‘Buddhas’ and the quotations listed could be from any one of them.

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker” – Buddha

“A generous heart, kind speech & a life of service & compassion are the things which renew humanity.” – Buddha

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him” – Buddha

“An idea that is developed & put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” – Buddha

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense” – Buddha

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

“Do not speak – unless it improves on silence.” – Buddha

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.” – Buddha

“Happiness never decreases by being shared.”  – Buddha

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” – Buddha

“He is able who thinks he is able.” – Buddha

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

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life” – Buddha

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

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

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” – Buddha

“There is only one moment in time when it is necessary to awaken. That moment is now.” — Buddha

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – Buddha

“To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child and to have a simple livelihood; this is the good luck.” – Buddha

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world” – Buddha

“What you are is what you have been. What you’ll be is what you do now.” – Buddha
“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care, for people will hear them & be influenced by them for good or ill.” -  Buddha
“With our thoughts we create the world” – Buddha

“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” – Buddha

“You yourself as much as anybody in the universe deserve your love & affection.” -  Buddha
“Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.” – Buddha