Gautama Buddha, also referred as Buddha or Lord Buddha was a Śramaṇa from ancient India.
He was the founder of the world’s major religion, Buddhism, which is followed by millions of people all across the world. Buddhism is all about getting rid of unwanted desires and thoughts to get enlightenment.
Buddha taught for almost 45 years and created a huge following, both monastic and lay. His agenda was to spread awareness about the reasons that make you sad and how to end it- the state called Nibbāna or Nirvana.
As per Buddhist tradition, Buddha devoted himself to meditation and asceticism for a long time, he awakened to recognize the mechanism that holds people into the cycle of birth and rebirth. Know yourself better with our collection of best Buddha quotes.
1. “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
2. “A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
3. “Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer badness with goodness. Conquer meanness with generosity. Conquer dishonesty with truth.”
Description: The quote is talking about how anger, badness, meanness, and dishonesty can all be conquered by their opposites. Anger can be overcome by not getting angry; badness can be overcome by being good; meanness can be overcome with generosity; and dishonesty can be overcome with truthfulness.
4. “Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.”
5. “May all beings have happy minds.”
6. “I will not look at another’s bowl intent on finding fault: a training to be observed.”
Description: The idea behind this is that if you look at other people’s dishes in search of faults, you will never be satisfied with your own cooking. If you are looking for flaws, it means that you are not happy with what you have made, so why would it matter what someone else has done? It is important to seek out ways of improving your skills as a cook, but this should be done through study and practise.
7. “Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.”
8. “Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.”
9. “Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.”
Description: “Buddhism is not just a religion, but an art of living life and finding content within ourselves. The entire process of getting enlightenment takes discipline, devotion, and patience. Following Buddhism makes our vision wider and wiser. It brings our attention towards positivity and new learnings each day.”
10. “Delight in heedfulness! Guard well your thoughts!”
11. “In whom there is no sympathy for living beings: know him as an outcast.”
Description: Buddha gave us a different perspective to look at the world. We often practice what we learn from our experiences. If someone is being harsh with others, we should try to find the root cause of such actions.
12. “Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let them resolutely pursue a solitary course.”
13. “Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.”
14. “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”
Description: People have been hating each other for a long time. But it doesn’t make things better. In fact, it makes things worse. The only way to stop hatred is to not hate others.
15. “Live with no sense of ‘mine,’ not forming attachment to experiences.”
16. “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.”
Description: The quote is attributed to Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The concept behind it is that life goes through constant change. Things are born, grow old and eventually die so there is no point in dwelling on things too much as they will soon change anyway. Life goes on until death arrives so one day you should just accept that things will change and be ready for the changes instead of trying to hold on to past or present moments.
17. “One is not called noble who harms living beings. By not harming living beings one is called noble.”
Description: Noble can be explained as someone who is good to others and doesn’t do anything bad or wrong. As the quote says, people should show kindness to everyone because it makes them noble. If one does something to harm another person, they are not being kind and therefore would not be called noble.
18. “If a man going down into a river, swollen and swiftly flowing, is carried away by the current — how can he help others across?”
19. “All conditioned things are impermanent—when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.”
Description: Everything we see comes with validity. A mindful soul never gets attached to anyone or anything because they understand that the only possession they own is their breath and nothing else. We can enjoy whatever we get for a while but the fear of losing it stops us from being enlightened souls.
20. “Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.”
21. “To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful occupation — this is the greatest blessing.”
Description: Finding peace doesn’t mean that one needs to leave their family and friends to become a saint. It is all about accepting whatever the universe has to offer with open arms. It is not a task for an awakened soul to understand the difference between love and attachment.
22. “Resolutely train yourself to attain peace.”
23. “The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.”
24. “All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
25. “They blame those who remain silent, they blame those who speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed.”
Description: People blame those who speak but do not say anything, people blame those who speak a lot, and people also blame those who only say things in moderation. There is no person that is not blamed by someone!
26. “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.”
27. “If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows them like a never-departing shadow.”
28. “As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.”
29. “It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.”
Description: Buddhism is the mantra of becoming a happy and peaceful soul, away from hatred, envy, guilt, and fear. Anyone can achieve the state of enlightenment only if they forgive others and themselves.
30. “Whatever precious jewel there is in the heavenly worlds, there is nothing comparable to one who is Awakened.”
Description: Most of us find ourselves trapped in the rat race of getting more money, success, and fame. An awakened one never runs after anything because he knows whatever belongs to him will find its way to reach him.
31. “The root of suffering is attachment.”
32. “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.”
Description: Sages do not get attached to what they see, what they hear, or what they feel. They are like water beads on a lotus leaf or water on a red lily. The water does not stick to the leaves or the lily because they are wet. So too, the sage is not attached to anything in this world because he is aware of the impermanence of all things.
33. “The one in whom no longer exist the craving and thirst that perpetuate becoming; how could you track that Awakened one, trackless, and of limitless range.”
34. “All experiences are preceded by mind, having mind as their master, created by mind.”
35. “Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.”
Description: People who are wise are not affected by what people say about them. That is to say, it doesn’t matter what people think about them. They are not affected by other people’s opinions. What matters to the wise person is what they actually think, not what others think.
36. “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”
Description: The above quote means that the meaning of a single word is better than a thousand words. A thousand words can deceive you and mislead you, but one word with its meaning brings peace to your mind. It’s more important to understand the real meaning behind some thing (one word in this case) rather than listen or read many things (one thousand words in this case).
37. “Ceasing to do evil, Cultivating the good, Purifying the heart: This is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
38. “Understanding is the heartwood of well-spoken words.”
39. “Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another.”
Description: Your character reflects in your thoughts and actions. No one can control the way you think and how you perceive things in life. No master can hold your hands to walk the road to wisdom. It’s your journey with your own experiences.
40. “We will develop love, we will practice it, we will make it both a way and a basis…”
41. “There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.”
Description: Fear of losing money, position, fame, loved ones makes us a confined personality. Our expectations and desires are just obstructions. We often get scared if our plans are not executed the way we want, this fear restricts our vision and stops us from finding better options.
42. “Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness & benefit.”
43. “Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.”
44. “When you attain victory over yourself, not even the gods can turn it into defeat.”
45. “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.”
46. “Let him not deceive another nor despise anyone anywhere. In anger or ill will let him not wish another ill.”
47. “Your own self is your master; who else could be? With yourself well controlled, you gain a master very hard to find.”
Description: You are the boss of yourself. No one else can tell you what to do. If you control yourself, you will be very lucky because it is hard to find someone who can do that for you.
48. “It seems that although we thought ourselves permanent, we are not. Although we thought ourselves settled, we are not. Although we thought we would last forever, we will not.”
49. “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.”
Description: The only desire you should have is to find your true self. No learning, no religion can help you find enlightenment if you are following it without any understanding. It requires absolute devotion and discipline to achieve the state of nirvana.
50. “Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance.”
51. “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
Description: It is important to be aware of your intentions and actions. An awakened soul knows his purpose in life and devotes himself to it with honest intentions.
52. “Like someone pointing to treasure is the wise person who sees your faults and points them out. Associate with such a sage.”
53. “I do not dispute with the world; rather it is the world that disputes with me.”
54. “You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”
Description: You can’t go anywhere until you become the way there. it’s basically telling someone what they need to do, but not directly saying it or giving them hints on how to do it.
55. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
Description: Don’t worry about things in the past or worry about things in the future. Just focus on what you’re doing right now. Do not think about the past, do not dream about the future. It is best to focus on what is happening now. The meaning is that focusing too much on either the past or future can cause regret and anxiety respectively. Instead it is better to focus on the present moment.
56. “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 are you freed.”
57. “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”
58. “If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
59. “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
Description: Wisdom gives you the power to question and find answers yourself. Most of us are standing on a hamster wheel with no motive. We need to recognize, appreciate and enjoy the natural mechanism of life.
60. “Be truthful; do not yield to anger. Give freely, even if you have but little. The gods will bless you.”
