EXCERPTS FROM THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS
“Wisdom is the best guide and faith is the best companion
One must try to escape from the darkness of ignorance and suffering
And seek the light of enlightenment”
“Right thought means the resolution not to cherish desires,
Not to be greedy, not to be angry
And not to do any harmful deed
Right speech means the avoidance of lying words,
Idle words, abusive words and double-tongues”
"Those who delight in truth sleep peacefully, with clear minds"
"Practice the principle of good conduct, not evil conduct. One who acts on truth
is happy in this world and beyond"
“To support mother and father, to cherish wife and child
And to have a simple livelihood;
This is the best good luck".
"Being generous and just, helping one’s relatives
And being blameless in one’s actions;
This is the best good luck".
"To refrain from evil and from strong desires
And to be always steadfast in virtue;
This is the best good luck".
"Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and having the good dharma;
This is the best good luck”
“Now this, monks, is the noble truth of pain:
Birth is painful; old age is painful;
Sickness is painful; death is painful;
Sorrow, lamentation, dejection, and despair are painful.
Contact with unpleasant things is painful;
Not getting what one wishes is painful.
In short the five groups of grasping are painful”.
“Now this, monks, is the noble truth of the cause of pain:
The craving, which leads to rebirth,
Combined with pleasure and lust,
Finding pleasure here and there,
Namely the craving for passion,
The craving for existence,
And the craving for non-existence.”
“Now this, monks, is the noble truth
Of the cessation of pain:
The cessation without a reminder of craving,
The abandonment, forsaking, release, and non-attachment".
“Now this, monks, is the noble truth
Of the way that leads to the cessation of pain:
This is the noble eightfold way, namely,
Correct understanding, correct intention,
Correct speech, correct action, correct livelihood,
Correct attention, correct concentration,
And correct meditation”.
“Awareness is the path of immortality;
Thoughtlessness is the path of death.
Those who are aware do not die.
The thoughtless are as if dead already.
he wise having clearly understood this delight in awareness
And find joy in the knowledge of the noble ones,
These wise ones, meditative, persevering,
Always using strong effort,
Attain nirvana, the supreme peace and happiness.”
“There is no fire like lust, no chain like hate;
There is no snare like folly, no torrent like craving.
The faults of others are easy to see;
Our own are difficult to see.
A person winnows others’ faults like chaff,
But hides one’s own faults,
Like a cheater hides bad dice.
If a person is concerned about the faults of others
And is always inclined to be offended,
One’s own faults grow
And one is far from removing faults”
“Lift up your self by yourself; examine your self by yourself;
Thus self-protected and attentive you will live joyfully, mendicant.
For self is the master of self; self is the refuge of self.
Therefore tame yourself, like a merchant tames a noble horse.
Joyful and faithful in the doctrine of the Buddha,
The medicant finds peace,
T he joy of ending natural existence”.
"It is better to live one day wisely and reflectively
Than to live a hundred years in ignorance and indulgence".
"Be free of the past, be free of the future, be free of the meantime;
The transcendent. When your mind is completely liberated, you no
longer undergo birth and old age".
"Though one defeats a million men in battle,
one who overcomes the self alone is in fact the highest victor".
"Let one be friendly and well mannered;
Then one will have much happiness and put an end to misery".
"The thought is calm, the speech and action are calm,
In one who is liberated and gone to serenity by perfect knowledge".
"For those who are always courteous and respectful of elders,
Four things increase; life, beauty, happiness and strength".
"Empty this boat, O mendicant; when it is empty, it will travel lightly.
Having cut off passion and hatred, then you will go to nirvana".
"People whose conduct is good go to heaven;
People who are free from compulsion attain nirvana".
"Self is master of self; who else would be the master?
With a self well under control, one gains a master hard to find".
"Giving truth surpasses all giving;
the flavor of truth surpasses all flavors;
the enjoyment of truth surpasses all enjoyments;
the destruction of craving overcomes all misery".
"Let us live most happily, possessing nothing;
Let us feed on joy, like the radiant gods".
"In this world hate never yet dispelled hate,
Only love dispels hate.
This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible".
"The wind cannot overturn a mountain,
Temptation cannot touch the man,
Who is awake, strong and humble,
Who masters himself and minds the law."
"If a man't thoughts are muddy,
If he is reckless and full of deceit,
How can he wear the yellow robe?"
"Whoever is master of his own nature,
Bright, clear and true,
He may indeed wear the yellow robe."
"See the false as false, the true as true,
Look into your heart, follow your nature."
"An unreflecting mind is a poor roof;
Passion, like rain, floods the house.
But if the roof is strong, there is shelter."
"However many holy words you read,
However many you speak,
What good will they do you,
if you do not act upon them?"
"Read a few words as you like,
And speak fewer,
But act upon the law."
"Give up the old ways-
Passion, enmity, folly.
Know the truth and find peace.
Share the way."
"He never gives in to desire,
He meditates,
And in the strength of his resolve,
He discovers true happiness."
"Mindful among the mindless,
Awake while others dream,
Swift as the race horse,
He outstrips the field."
"How can the troubled mind understand the way?
If a man is disturbed, he will never be filled with knowledge."
"An untroubled mind, no longer seeking to consider
What is right and what is wrong,
A mind beyond judgement watches and understands."
'In every trial let understanding fight for you
To defend what you have won.
For soon the body is discarded,
Then what does it feel?
A useless log of wood, it lies on the ground,
Then what does it know?"
"Your worst enemy cannot harm you,
As much as your own thoughts, unguarded.
But once mastered, no one can help you as much,
Not even your father or your mother."
"Look to your own faults,
What you have done or left undone,
Overlook the faults of others."
"Like a lovely flower bright but scentless,
Are the fine but empty words,
Of the man who does not mean what he says."
"Like a lovely flower, bright and fragrant,
Are the fine and truthful words of the man who means what he says."
"Like garlands woven from a heap of flowers,
Fashion from your life as many good deeds."
"The perfume of sandalwood, Rosebay or jasmine,
Cannot travel against the wind.
But the fragrance of virtue travels even against the wind,
As far as the ends of the world."
"How much finer is the fragrance of virtue,
Than of sandalwood, rosebay, of the blue lotus or jasmine!"
"The fool who knows he is a fool, is that much wiser.
The fool who thinks he is wise, is a fool indeed."
"The fool is his own enemy,
The mischief he does is his undoing.
How bitterly he suffers!"
"Why do what you will regret?
Why bring tears upon yourself?
Do only what you do not regret,
And fill yourself with joy."
"For a while the fool's mischief tastes sweet, sweet as honey.
But in the end it turns bitter, and how bitterly he suffers!"
"Fresh milk takes time to sour,
So a fool's mischief takes time to catch up with him.
Like the embers of a fire, it smolders within him."
"One way leads to wealth and fame,
The other way to the end of the way.
Look not for recognition but follow the awakened,
and set yourself free."
"Let him chasten and teach you,
And keep you from mischief.
The world may hate him,
But good men love him."
"Do not look for bad company,
Or live with men who do not care;
Find friends who love the truth."
"The wind cannot shake a mountain,
Neither praise nor blame moves the wise man."
"He is clarity, hearing the truth;
He is like a lake, pure and tranquil and deep."
"Want nothing;
Where there is desire,
Say nothing."
"Happiness or sorrow-
Whatever befalls you,
Walk on untouched, unattached."
"Those who awaken never rest in one place;
Like swans, they rise and leave the lake."
"His thoughts are still; his words are still.
His work is stillness; he sees his freedom and is free."
"Better than a thousand hollow words.
Is one word that brings peace.
Better than a hundred hollow lines,
Is one line of the law, bringing peace."
"It is better to conquer yourself,
Than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours."
"Better than a hundred years of mischief,
Is one day spent in contemplation.
Better than a hundred years of ignorance,
Is one day spent in reflection.
Better than a hundred years of ignorance,
Is one day spent in determination."
"Be quick to do good;
If you are slow, the mind, delighting in mischief,
Will catch you."
"Turn away from mischief,
Again and again, turn away,
Before sorrow befalls you."
"Set your heart on doing good;
Do it over and over again,
And you will be filled with joy."
"A fool is happy until his mischief turns against him;
And a good man may suffer until his goodness flowers."
"Do not make light of your failing,
Saying "what are they to me?
A jug fills drop by drop,
So the fool becomes brimful of folly."
"Do not belittle your virtues,
Saying "they are nothing."
A jug fills drop by drop,
So the wise man becomes brimful of virtue."
"But as dust thrown agains the wind,
Mischief is blown back in the face,
Of the fool who wrongs the pure and harmless."
"Some are reborn in hell,
Some in this world,
The good in heaven,
But the pure are not reborn."
"Hard it is to be born,
Hard it is to live,
Harder still to hear of the way,
And hard to rise, follow and awake."
"Yet the teaching is simple,
Do what is right,
Be pure.
At the end of the way is freedom,
Till then, patience."
"If you wound or grieve another,
You have not learned detachment."
"Offend 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."
"The rain could turn to gold,
And still your thirst would not be slaked.
Desire is unquenchable,
Or it ends in fears, even in heaven."
"He who wishes to awake,
Consumes his desires,
Joyfully."
"He who shelters in the way,
And travels with those who follow it,
Comes to see the four great truths."
"Concerning sorrow,
The beginning of sorrow,
The eightfold way,
And the end of sorrow."
"Then at last he is safe.
He has shaken off sorrow.
He is free."
"The awakened are few and hard to find.
Blessed is the teaching of the way.
Blessed is the understanding among those who follow it;
And blessed is their determination."
"And blessed are they who revere,
The man who awakes and follow the way."
"They are free from fear;
They are free."
"Live in joy,
In love;
Even among those who hate."
"Live in joy,
In health;
Even among the afflicted."
"Live in joy,
In peace;
Even among the troubled."
"Health, contentment and trust,
Are your greatest possessions;
And freedom your greatest joy."
"Look within,
Be still.
Free from fear and attachment;
Know the sweet joy of the way."
"Follow then the shining ones,
The wise, the awakened, the loving;
For they know how to work and forbear."
"Follow them,
As the moon follows the path of the stars."
"Do not let pleasure distract you,
From meditation, from the way.
Free yourself from pleasure and pain;
For craving pleasure or in nursing pain,
There is only sorrow."
"Like nothing, lest you lose it;
Lest it bring you grief and fear.
Go beyond likes and dislikes."
"From passion and desire,
Sensuousness and lust,
Arise grief and fear,
Free yourself from attachment."
"Let go of anger,
Let go of pride;
When you are bound by nothing,
You go beyond sorrow."
"Speak the truth,
Give whatever you can,
Never be angry.
These three steps will lead you,
Into the presence of the gods."
"The wise harm no one;
They are masters of their bodies;
And they go to the boundless country;
They go beyond sorrow."
"The world always finds,
A way to praise and a way to blame.
It always has and it always will."
"Beware the anger of the body,
Master the body;
Let it serve truth."
"Beware the anger of the mouth,
Master your words;
Let them serve truth."
"Beware the anger of the mind,
Master your thoughts;
Let them serve truth."
"The wise have mastered,
Body, word and mind.
They are true masters."
"You are the lamp,
To lighten the way;
Then hurry, hurry, hurry."
"When your light shines,
Without impurity or desire;
You will come into the boundless country."
"When your light shines purely,
You wil not be born;
And you will not die."
"In this world and the next,
There is impurity and impurity;
When a woman lacks dignity,
When a man lacks generosity.
But the greatest impurity is ignorance;
Free yourself from it.
Be pure."
"If you kill, lie or steal,
Commit adultery or drink;
You dig up your own roots."
"And if you cannot master yourself,
The harm you do turns against you;
Grievously."
"All things arise and pass away,
But the awakened awake forever."
"Quietly consider,
What is right and what is wrong.
Receiving all opinions equally,
Without haste, wisely,
Observe the law."
"Who is wise,
The eloquent or the quiet man?
Be quiet,
And loving and fealess."
"For the mind talks;
But the body knows."
"Gray hairs do not make a master,
A man may grow old in vain."
"The true master lives in truth,
In goodness and restraint,
Nonviolence, moderation and purity."
"Fine words or fine features,
Cannot make a master;
Out of jealous and greedy man."
"Only when envy and selfishness
Are rooted out of him,
May he grow in beauty."
"The true seeker subdues all waywardness;
He has submitted his nature to quietness."
"He is a true seeker,
Not because he begs,
But because he follows the lawful way,
Holding back nothing, holding to nothing,
Beyond good and beyond evil,
Beyond the body and beyond the mind."
"O Seeker!
Rely on nothing,
Until you want nothing."
"Everything arises and passes away."
When you see this, you are above sorrow.
This is the shining way."
"Existence is sorrow".
Understand, and go beyong sorrow.
This is the way of brightness."
"Existence is illusion."
Understand, go beyond.
This is the way of clarity."
"Master your words.
Master your thoughts.
Never allow your body to do harm.
Follow these three roads with purity,
And you will find yourself upon the one way,
The way of wisdom."
"While a man desires a woman,
His mind is bound,
As closely as a calf to its mother."
"As you would pluck an autumn lily,
Pluck the arrow of desire."
"There is pleasure,
And there is bliss.
Forgo the first to possess the second."
"If you are happy,
At the expense of another man's happiness,
You are forever bound."
"You do not what you should,
You do what you should not.
You are reckless, and desire grows,"
"If he is a good man,
A man of faith, honored and prosperous,
Wherever he goes he is welcome."
"Like the Himalayas,
Good men shine from afar.
But bad men move unseen,
Like arrows in the night."
"One man denies the truth;
Another denies his own actions.
Both go into the dark,
And in the next world suffer,
For they offend truth."
"Do what you have to do,
Resolutely, with all your heart.
The traveler who hesitates,
Only raises dust on the road."
"It is better to do nothing,
Than to do what is wrong.
For whatever you do, you do to yourself."
"Like a border town well-guarded,
Guard yourself within and without.
Let not a single moment pass,
Lest you fall into darkness."
"Feel shame only where shame is due.
Fear only what is fearful;
See evil only in what is evil;
Lest you mistake the true way,
And fall into darkness."
"See what is,
See what is not;
Follow the true way,
Rise."
"I shall endure harsh words,
As the elephant endures the shafts of battle;
For many people speak wildly."
"My own mind used to wander,
Wherever pleasure or desire or lust led it.
But now I have tamed it,
I guide it,
As the keeper guides the wild elephant."
"Travel on alone,
Rather than with a fool for company."
"Do not carry with you your mistakes.
Do not carry your cares."
"O how sweet it is to enjoy life,
Living in honesty and strength!"
"And wisdom is sweet,
And freedom."
"If you are filled with desire,
Your sorrows swell,
Like the grass after the rain."
"But if you subdue desire,
Your sorrows fall from you,
Like drops of water from a lotus flower."
"This is good counsel,
And it is for everyone:
As the grass is cleared for the fresh root,
cut down desire;
Lest death after death crush you,
As a river crushes the helpless reeds."
"Pleasures flow everywhere;
You float upon them,
And are carried from life to life."
"O seeker!
Give up desire.
Shake off your chains."
"It is not iron that imprisons you,
Nor rope, nor wood;
But the pleasure you take in gold and jewels,
In sons and wives."
"O slave of desire,
Float upon the stream.
Little spider, stick to your web,
Forsake desire, and follow the way."
"Abandon yesterday, and tomorrow,
And today.
Cross over to the farther shore,
Beyond life and death."
"Do your thoughts trouble you?
Does passion disturb you?
Beware thirstiness,
Lest your wishes become desires."
"Quieten your mind;
Reflect;
Watch;
Nothing binds you;
You are free."
"The gift of truth is beyond giving;
The taste beyond sweetness;
The joy beyond joy."
"The end of desire is the end of sorrow."
"The fool is his own enemy;
Seeking wealth, he destroys himself."
"Seek rather the other shore."
"Honour the man who is without passion,
Hatred, illusion and desire."
"What you give to him,
Will be given back to you.
And more."
"You are a seeker;
Delight in the mastery,
Of your hands and your feet.
Of your words and your thoughts."
"Delight in meditation,
And in solitude.
Compose yourself, be happy.
You are a seeker."
"Do not turn away what is given you,
Nor reach out for what is given to others.
Lest you disturb your quietness."
"Give thanks,
For what has been given you;
However little.
Be pure, never falter."
"You have no name and no form.
Why miss what you do not have?
The seeker is not sorry."
"Seeker!
Do not be reckless.
Meditate constantly.
Or you will swallow fire,
And cry out: "No more!"
"Like the moon,
Come out from behind the clouds!
Shine"
"Go beyond ,
This way or that way,
To the farther shore,
Where the world dissolves,
And everything becomes clear."
"Beyond this shore,
And the farther shore,
Beyond the beyond,
Where there is no beginning,
No end."
"Meditate.
Live purely.
Be quiet.
Do your work, with mastery."
"Resist the pleasures of life,
And the desire to hurt;
Till sorrow vanish."
"Never offend
By what you think or say or do."
"Honor the man who is awake,
And shows you the way.
Honor the fire of his sacrifice."
"Matted hair or family or caste,
Do not make a master.
But the truth and goodness,
With which he is blessed."
"A man is not born to mastery.
A master is never proud.
He does not talk down to others.
Owing nothing, he misses nothing."
"He is not afraid.
He does not tremble.
Nothing binds him.
He is infinitely free."
"The master endures
insults and ill-treatment,
without reacting.
For his spirit is an army."
"He is never angry.
He keeps his promises.
He never strays, he is determined.
This body is my last, he says!"
"Like water on the leaf of a lotus or flower,
Or a mustard seed on the point of a needle,
He does not cling.
For he has reached the end of sorrow,
And has laid down his burden."
"Like a mustard seed from the point of a needle,
Hatred has fallen from him.
And lust, hypocrisy and pride."
"Whatever is not his,
He refuses,
Good or bad, great or small."
"He wants nothing from this world,
And nothing from the next.
He is free."
"Desiring nothing, doubting nothing,
Beyond judgement and sorrow,
And the pleasures of the senses,
He has moved beyond time;
He is pure and free."
"How clear he is.
He is the moon,
He is serene.
He shines."
"He does not tremble,
Or grasp or hesitate.
He has found peace."
"Calmly he lets go of life,
Of home and pleasure and desire."
"Nothing of men can hold him.
Nothing of the gods can hold him.
Nothing in all creation can hold him."
"Desire has left him,
Never to return.
Sorrow has left him,
Never to return."
"In him there is no yesterday,
No tomorrow,
No today."
"Possessing nothing,
Wanting nothing.
He is full of power,
Fearless, wise, exalted.
He has vanquished all things.
He sees by virtue of his purity."
"He has come to the end of the way,
Over the river of his many lives,
His many deaths."
"Beyond the sorrow of hell,
Beyond the great joy of heaven,
By virtue of his purity."
"He has come to the end of the way,
All that he has to do, he has done.
And he is one."