Buddhism Quotes:

It just seemed like Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism - because that's mainly what I've been exposed to - was a real solid organization of teachings to point someone in the right direction. Some real well thought out stuff. But I don't know, like, every last detail about Buddhism.

- Adam Yauch

source: "Sometimes, you just gotta' shut down". Interview With Amy Green, www.salon.com. 1995.

topic: Real, Teaching, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism

To observe and watch one's own mind is something really interesting. The untrained mind will run and follow its old habit patterns. Because it has not been trained and taught, it will get lost in all kinds of stories and issues. Therefore we have to train our mind. The meditation practice in Buddhism is all about training one's own mind.

- Ajahn Chah

topic: Running, Buddhism, Practice, Really Interesting

To define Buddhism without a lot of words and phrases, we can simply say, 'Don't cling or hold on to anything. Harmonize with actuality, with things as they are.'

- Ajahn Chah

topic: Buddhism, Phrases, Actuality

And as I stumbled onto Eastern philosophy and Buddhism, it was the first time I had ever read any sort of philosophy that really made a tremendous amount of sense. What I liked that was missing from my experience of Christianity growing up was a sort of acceptance, a sort of being OK with being imperfect and not focusing on the sin.

- Alan Ball

topic: Growing Up, Philosophy, Buddhism, Eastern Philosophy, Being Imperfect

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

- Alan Watts

topic: Fun, Buddhism, Positivity, Zen Proverb, Funny Religious

A scholar tries to learn something everyday; a student of Buddhism tries to unlearn something daily.

- Alan Watts

topic: Education, Learning, Buddhism, Unlearn

Here's an example: someone says, "Master, please hand me the knife," and he hands them the knife, blade first. "Please give me the other end," he says. And the master replies, "What would you do with the other end?" This is answering an everyday matter in terms of the metaphysical. When the question is, "Master, what is the fundamental principle of Buddhism?" Then he replies, "There is enough breeze in this fan to keep me cool." That is answering the metaphysical in terms of the everyday, and that is, more or less, the principle zen works on. The mundane and the sacred are one and the same.

- Alan Watts

topic: Buddhism, Hands, Knives, Fundamental Principles

If there is any religion that could respond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism.

- Albert Einstein

topic: Inspirational, Yoga, Buddhism

The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. The religion which based on experience, which refuses dogmatic. If there's any religion that would cope the scientific needs it will be Buddhism....

- Albert Einstein

topic: Buddhism, Needs, Cosmic

The religions whose theology is least preoccupied with events in time and most concerned with eternity, have been consistently less violent and more humane in political practice. Unlike early Judaism, Christianity and Mohammedanism (all obsessed with time) Hinduism and Buddhism have never been persecuting faiths, have preached almost no holy wars and have refrained from that proselytizing religious imperialism which has gone hand in hand with political and economic oppression of colored people.

- Aldous Huxley

topic: Religious, War, Buddhism, Proselytizing, Hinduism And Buddhism

Buddhism notes that it is always a mistake to think your soul can go it alone.

- Annie Dillard

topic: Mistake, Buddhism, Thinking

Life is movement. The more life there is, the more flexibility there is. The more fluid you are, the more you are alive.

- Arnaud Desjardins

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Movement

On days when the sky is grey, the sun has not disappeared forever.

- Arnaud Desjardins

topic: Buddhism, Sky, Forever

Life is expressed in a perpetual sequence of changes. The birth of the child is the death of the baby, just as the birth of the adolescent is the death of the child.

- Arnaud Desjardins

topic: Baby, Children, Buddhism, Sequence

If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason. There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion

- B. R. Ambedkar

topic: Buddhism, Elements, Study

All of the religions - with the exception of Tibetan Buddhism, which doesn't believe in a heaven - teach that heaven is a better place. At the end of the program, I say that heaven is a place where you are happy. All of the religions have that in common.

- Barbara Walters

topic: Believe, Buddhism, Heaven, Tibetan Buddhism

Many spiritual teachers - in Buddhism, in Islam - have talked about first-hand experience of the world as an important part of the path to wisdom, to enlightenment.

- Bell Hooks

topic: Spiritual, Teacher, Buddhism, Spiritual Teachers, First Hand Experience

Buddhism is all about finding your own way, not imitating the ways of others or even the ways of Buddha himself.

- Brad Warner

topic: Buddhism, Way, Findings, Imitating

Buddhism doesn't promise to fulfill our desires. Instead it says, 'You feel unfulfilled? That's okay. That's normal. Everybody feels unfulfilled. You will always feel unfulfilled. There is no problem with feeling unfulfilled. In fact, if you learn to see it the right way, that very lack of fulfillment is the greatest thing you can ever experience.' This is the realistic outlook.

- Brad Warner

topic: Learning, Buddhism, Feelings

Much of the hatred and fear of sexuality found in religions stems from the idea that sex is a thing of the body and that the body must be denied so that the spirit may be elevated. In Buddhism there is no notion that the body is made of inferior matter while the spirit flies free within.

- Brad Warner

topic: Sex, Buddhism, Ideas

And this presence of the Spirit will enlighten not only yellow skin people or white skin people but even black skin people. I believe in the last days the Spirit of God will be poured out in the nations of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Because Jesus Christ is the Lord. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Universe. Amen.

- Brother Yun

topic: Jesus, Believe, Buddhism, White Skin, Spirit Of God

To believe straight away is foolishness, to believe after having seen clearly is good sense. That is the Buddhist policy in belief; not to believe stupidly, or to rely only on people, textbooks, conjecture, reasoning, or whatever the majority believes, but rather to believe what we see clearly for ourselves to be the case. This is how it is in Buddhism.

- Buddhadasa

topic: Buddhist, Believe, Buddhism

The followers of Derrida are pathetic, snuffling in French pockets for bits of pieces of a deconstructive method already massively and coherently presented and with a mature sense of the sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism.

- Camille Paglia

topic: Buddhism, Pockets, Followers, Derrida

The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of the enlivening spirit of the Buddha, stripped of all its historical and doctrinal garments.

- D.T. Suzuki

topic: Buddhism, Essence, Historical

Zen professes itself to be the spirit of Buddhism, but in fact it is the spirit of all religions and philosophies,

- D.T. Suzuki

topic: Philosophy, Buddhism, Facts

Prophecy is rash, but it may be that the publication of D.T. Suzuki's first Essays in Zen Buddhism in 1927 will seem to future generations as great an intellectual event as William of Moerbeke's Latin translations of Aristotle in the thirteenth century or Marsiglio Ficino's of Plato in the fifteenth.

- D.T. Suzuki

topic: Plato, Latin, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism

Suzuki's works on Zen Buddhism are among the best contributions to the knowledge of living Buddhism... We cannot be sufficiently grateful to the author, first for the fact of his having brought Zen closer to Western understanding, and secondly for the manner in which he has achieved this task.

- D.T. Suzuki

topic: Grateful, Buddhism, Understanding, Zen Buddhism

The idea of interdependence is central to Buddhism, which holds that all things come into being through the mutual interactions of various causes and conditions.

- Daisaku Ikeda

topic: Buddhism, Ideas, Causes

Buddhism holds that everything is in constant flux. Thus the question is whether we are to accept change passively and be swept away by it or whether we are to take the lead and create positive changes on our own initiative. While conservatism and self-protection might be likened to winter, night, and death, the spirit of pioneering and attempting to realize ideals evokes images of spring, morning, and birth.

- Daisaku Ikeda

topic: Morning, Spring, Buddhism, Pioneering, Swept Away

If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Buddhism, Belief, Prove

The essence of Buddhism is if you can, help others. If not, then at least refrain from hurting others.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Hurt, Buddhism, Helping Others, Hurting Others

Don't use Buddhism to become a Buddhist. Use Buddhism to become better at whatever else in your life you are doing already.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Life, Buddhist, Buddhism

There are techniques of Buddhism, such as meditation, that anyone can adopt.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Buddhism, Meditation, Technique

If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Inspirational, Buddhism, Religion

Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Religious, Business, Buddhism, Mental Peace, Mental Stability

In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Hands, Intellectual Development, Hand In Hand

If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.

- Dalai Lama

topic: Believe, Buddhism, Reality

As an individual, I think you have to find your own path. I like the simplicity and purity of Hinduism and many elements of Buddhism. These are all means of accessing spiritual energy.

- Dave Davies

topic: Spiritual, Mean, Buddhism, Spiritual Energy

I was studying Tibetan Buddhism when I was quite young, again influenced by Kerouac.

- David Bowie

topic: Buddhism, Study, Young, Tibetan Buddhism

Zen Buddhism is a discipline where belief isn't necessary.

- David Sylvian

topic: Buddhism, Discipline, Belief, Zen Buddhism

When you dig a well, there's no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow," said Buddha.

- Deepak Chopra

topic: Moving, Buddhism, Rocks, Pure Water

I think that we all at some point are in search of something - a higher power, whatever you want to call it, the meaning of life. I know I was, especially at even my son's age in my 20s, and dabbling in Eastern philosophies and yoga and Buddhism and Christianity and Islam. I kind of touched them all, you know, just trying to figure out the meaning of life or if nothing else, figure myself out.

- Denzel Washington

topic: Philosophy, Yoga, Buddhism, Dabbling, Higher Power

The first precept in Buddhism is "Do not kill." This precept is not merely a legalistic prohibition, but a realization of our affinity with all who share the gift of life. A compassionate heart provides a firm ground for this precept.

- Dhammananda Bhikkhuni

topic: Buddhist, Heart, Buddhism

Do not encumber your mind with useless thoughts. What good does it do to brood on the past or anticipate the future? Remain in the simplicity of the present moment.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

topic: Buddhism, Past, Simplicity

Like a robe wears out over time and turns to rags, life wears out from day to day, from second to second.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Rags

Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass, crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

topic: Morning, Buddhism, Suffering, Life Is Fragile, Fragile

On the day that you were born, you began to die. Do not waste a single moment more!

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

topic: Single Mom, Buddhism, Suffering

If one were truly aware of the value of human life, to waste it blithely on distractions and the pursuit of vulgar ambitions would be the height of confusion.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

topic: Ambition, Buddhism, Confusion, Value Of Human Life

To study Buddhism is to study ourselves. To study ourselves is to forget ourselves.

- Dogen

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Study

I try to make sure that the Buddhism is more or less implicit in the music rather than explicit

- Duncan Sheik

topic: Buddhism, Trying, Explicit

Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.

- Edward Abbey

topic: Philosophy, Buddhism, Common Sense, Daily Living, World Literature

Prajñāpāramitā Buddhism is not a religion suitable for the brainless

- Edward Conze

topic: Buddhism, Brainless

It does happen, of course, that the priesthood has been on bad terms with womankind for some three thousand years. You see, Buddhism teaches that women are evil. Fiends. Messengers of hell. I've spent years immersed in the scriptures, so it's no accident that you and I fight all the time.

- Eiji Yoshikawa

topic: Fighting, Buddhism, Years

And yet when you take Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, whatever, their combined killings in the name of religion -- well, that would be zero.

- Eric Bolling

source: "Fox Host: Christians Have Killed ‘Zero’ People In The Name Of Religion" by Catherine Thompson, talkingpointsmemo.com. February 9, 2015.

topic: Zero, Buddhism, Names

I think Christianity is the same as Buddhism and Hinduism - whenever a religion begins to say that these are the things you have to do to be loved by God, you have a religion.

- Erwin McManus

topic: Buddhism, Thinking, Christianity, Hinduism And Buddhism

I"m often accused of being irreligious, and I suppose it's for this very reason. Whether it's Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism, or any other ism, when a religioin is created on the subtle premise that God withholds his love and you must submit to the system to earn that love, I consider it the worst of corruptions... For centuries, the church has been telling us that if we want God to love us, we need to follow the rules. It's been far more important to focus on the sin problem than the love problem.

- Erwin McManus

topic: Buddhism, Focus, Islam

Zen Buddhism does not preach. Sermons remain words. It waits until people feel stifled and insecure, driven by a secret longing.

- Eugen Herrigel

topic: Buddhism, Insecure, People, Zen Buddhism

The cartoonists treated Islam the same way they treat Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. And by treating Muslims in Denmark as equals they made a point we are integrating you into the Danish tradition of satire because you are part of our society, not strangers. The cartoons are including, rather than excluding, Muslims.

- Flemming Rose

source: "Why I Published Those Cartoons". www.washingtonpost.com. February 19, 2006.

topic: Buddhism, Islam, Cartoon

You must go to Mahometanism, to Buddhism, to the East, to the Sufis Fakirs, to Pantheism, for the right growth of mysticism.

- Florence Nightingale

topic: Buddhism, Growth, East, Pantheism

Soccer isn't the same as Bach or Buddhism. But it is often more deeply felt than religion, and just as much a part of the community's fabric, a repository of traditions.

- Franklin Foer

topic: Soccer, Buddhism, Community

The way we gain wisdom in meditation is not by explanation. If you go into the planes of light, you will come out of the meditation knowing things ... things that are inexpressible.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Light, Knowing Things

When you meditate and still your mind, you will gain the wisdom of knowing things in this world, in other worlds and beyond worlds - it just comes to you.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Other Worlds, Knowing Things

Wisdom is the ability to do two things at once, to be in the world and enjoy it and at the same time, to be in the realms of light, to be in samadhi.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Two

True wisdom is to see and understand your relationship with the universe. When you gain that relational knowledge, then you are wise.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wise, Wisdom, Buddhism, True Wisdom

There is wisdom in not letting anyone really know who you are or what you are like. If you define yourself, people hold you in their mind a certain way making it difficult to change.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, People

A person of knowledge and power never goes out looking for battles. All their battles are within.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Knowledge And Power

This world only brings things apart that come together, and brings things together that weren't together.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Together

Tragedy brings us closer to ourselves - it's the only thing that does.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Tragedy

Honestly admitting what you lost and not trying to rationalize it or push it off is an important step in self-assessment and mindfulness.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Assessment, Self Assessment

If you are truly wise, then you reflect the universe and you are relational in your approach to things. You are a mirror of infinity. That is wisdom.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wise, Wisdom, Buddhism

The ultimate intelligence of all things is your essence. Your mind is the universe. Your body is all things.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Essence

Knowledge is the ability to love, the ability to feel, the ability to probe the depths and the heights of life. It is the experience of the experiencer, and at the same time, it is beyond that.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Depth, Ability To Love

The only loser who walks away from a wise man is the one who walks away.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wise, Wisdom, Buddhism

Suffering follows the lack of wisdom.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Suffering

The universe is complicated and we're not going to get it all in one night or one incarnation or one infinity.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Night, One Night

Spiritual balance is to be straight with yourself.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Spiritual, Buddhism, Balance, Spiritual Balance

Only a pure heart, a completely pure heart can house eternity.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Heart, Buddhism, House, Pure Heart

Most people lead their lives like they drive their cars.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Buddhism, People, Car

There is always going to be pain. There is always going to be pleasure. But what is not always going to be there is balance, happiness. That is a personal decision.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Pain, Buddhism, Decision, Personal Decisions

Balance is to choose happiness, to feel that the purpose of life is to love, not necessarily to be loved, to be happy, to be conscious, to be aware, to be fulfilled.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Buddhism, Balance, Purpose

Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Buddhism, Balance, Boring, Transient

When you're happy it's pretty tough to knock you over. You can handle whatever comes along in life.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Buddhism, Over You, Balance

In martial arts one of the first things that you learn is to be balanced. Balance is the central principle in architecture and design. Balance is a way of trying to talk about being at the center of things.

- Frederick Lenz

topic: Art, Buddhism, Design

When the mind is exhausted of images, it invents its own.

- Gary Snyder

source: Gary Snyder (1969). “Earth House Hold”, p.10, New Directions Publishing

topic: Yoga, Buddhism, Positivity

Christianity persecuted, tortured, and burned. Like a hound it tracked the very scent of heresy. It kindled wars, and nursed furious hatreds and ambitions. It sanctified, quite like Mohammedism, extermination and tyranny. All this would have been impossible if, like Buddhism, it had looked only for peace and the liberation of souls. It looked beyond; it dreamt of infinite blisses and crowns it should be crowned with before an electrified universe and an applauding God... Buddhism had tried to quiet a sick world with anesthetics; Christianity sought to purge it with fire.

- George Santayana

topic: War, Ambition, Buddhism, Furious, Anesthetics

Today we can see many different forms of Buddhism, such as Zen and Theravada Buddhism. All these different aspects are practices of Buddha's teachings, and all are equally precious; they are just different presentations.

- Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

topic: Teaching, Buddhism, Practice

Buddhism is not a creed, it is a doubt.

- Gilbert K. Chesterton

topic: Buddhism, Doubt, Literature

Since religion intrinsically rejects empirical methods, there should never be any attempt to reconcile scientific theories with religion. [An infinitely old universe, always evolving may not be compatible with the Book of Genesis. However, religions such as Buddhism get along without having any explicit creation mythology and are in no way contradicted by a universe without a beginning or end.] Creatio ex nihilo, even as religious doctrine, only dates to around AD 200. The key is not to confuse myth and empirical results, or religion and science.

- Hannes Alfven

source: "Hannes Alfvén: Dean of the Plasma Dissidents". Book by Anthony L. Peratt, p. 196, 1998.

topic: Religious, Book, Buddhism, Genesis, Book Of Genesis

I think oysters are more beautiful than any religion,' he resumed presently. 'They not only forgive our unkindness to them; they justify it, they incite us to go on being perfectly horrid to them. Once they arrive at the supper-table they seem to enter thoroughly into the spirit of the thing. There's nothing in Christianity or Buddhism that quite matches the sympathetic unselfishness of an oyster.

- Hector Hugh Munro

topic: Beautiful, Buddhism, Thinking, Unkindness, Unselfishness

Oysters are more beautiful than any religion....Theres nothing in Christianity or Buddhism that quite matches the sympathetic unselfishness of an oyster.

- Hector Hugh Munro

topic: Beautiful, Buddhism, Oysters

The cool thing is that jazz is really a wonderful example of the great characteristics of Buddhism and great characteristics of the human spirit. Because in jazz we share, we listen to each other, we respect each other, we are creating in the moment. At our best, we're non-judgmental.

- Herbie Hancock

topic: Inspirational, Buddhism, Creating, Cool Things, Non Judgmental

Buddhism has turned me on to my humanness, and is challenging my humanness so that I can become more human.

- Herbie Hancock

topic: Buddhism, Challenges, Humans, Humanness Is, Humanness

One thing that attracted me to Buddhism was the support for this larger vision of values.

- Herbie Hancock

topic: Buddhism, Support, Vision

We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is a spiral; we have already climbed many steps.

- Hermann Hesse

topic: Yoga, Buddhism, Circles, Siddhartha

Buddhism regards all living creatures as being endowed with the Buddha nature and the potential to become Buddhas. That's why Buddhism teaches us to refrain from killing and to liberate creatures instead.

- Hsuan Hua

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Killing, Buddha Nature

Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others.

- Hugo Black

topic: Country, Buddhism, Law, Secular Humanism

We each need to make our lion's roar - to persevere with unshakable courage when faced with all manner of doubts and sorrows and fears - to declare our right to awaken.

- Jack Kornfield

topic: Buddhism, Sorrow, Doubt

We are awakened to the profound realization that the true path to liberation is to let go of everything.

- Jack Kornfield

topic: Letting Go, Buddhism, Profound, Meditation Mindfulness

We need a repeated discipline, a genuine training, in order to let go of our old habits of mind and to find and sustain a new way of seeing.

- Jack Kornfield

topic: Letting Go, Buddhism, Old Habits, Habits Of Mind

We can always begin again.

- Jack Kornfield

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Begin Again

I never stopped studying Buddhism. In the past few years, in between movies, I do a retreat.

- Jet Li

topic: Buddhism, Past, Years

I spend more time learning about Buddhism than English, which is why my English today is still bad.

- Jet Li

topic: Buddhism, Today, More Time

Hate is the last refuge of the ignorant. Love is the medicine. Compassion is the gift of the awakened ones.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Hate, Buddhism

Always walk in peace and beauty; in grace and love, speak only truth and you will be blessed. Where we are, let there be light.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Blessed, Buddhism, Being Blessed, Grace And Love

In short: if one has nothing of value to say, only that which is impure defilement, avoid them. They are masters of the dark. Of no use.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Buddhism, Dark, Defilement

If we develop a good heart we will progress to true compassion, and awaken Bodhicitta. This is the way of the Buddha's method.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Heart, Buddhism, Bodhicitta

No being incapable of controlling their own mind or developing ethics and a loving character can ever be a Master. First we must have accomplishment.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Character, Buddhism

One should rest with a peaceful and loving mind. Even wrathful emanating Buddhas manifest solely out of the wish to liberate beings.

- Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo

topic: Love, Buddhism, Peaceful

For me, Buddhism is a psychology and a philosophy that provides a means, upayas, for working with the mind.

- Joan Halifax

topic: Philosophy, Mean, Buddhism

I've worked in the prison system, on death row and maximum security. I did that work for six years. I've worked with some of the most difficult people in our society. Buddhism was accessible and helpful for these individuals.

- Joan Halifax

topic: Buddhism, Years, People, Prison System, Death Row

When I first was exposed to Buddhism in the mid-1960s, I said it was so practical and utterly pragmatic. That's what attracted me to Buddhism.

- Joan Halifax

topic: Buddhism, Firsts, Said, Pragmatic

My work has been in the field of engaged Buddhism. That is my own practice, which began in 1965 that formed the base for the work I was doing in the civil rights and anti-war movement.

- Joan Halifax

topic: War, Buddhism, Rights, Anti War Movement

Relativity propped it up, at least gave it the illusion of being there…the way all reality becomes illusory and observer-oriented when you study general relativity. Or Buddhism. Or get drafted.

- Joe Haldeman

source: Joe Haldeman (2014). “The Forever War”, p.38, Open Road Media

topic: Buddhism, Reality, Way, General Relativity

Just studying Buddhism, then meditating and going to Buddhist monasteries, talking to Buddhist monks, combined with the Thai people themselves, changed the way I look at the world.

- John Burdett

source: "Thai Air. John Burdett on 'Bangkok Haunts'". "Austin Chronicle" Interview, www.austinchronicle.com. June 15, 2007.

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Talking, Buddhist Monk, Meditating

Mindfulness is so powerful that the fact that it comes out of Buddhism is irrelevant.

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

topic: Powerful, Buddhism, Mindfulness

The fundamental goal of Buddhism is the realization of the peace and happiness of humankind.

- Josei Toda

topic: Buddhism, Goal, Fundamentals

The reason Buddhism can be so naturalised is because, stripped of its supernatural elements, its core teachings can be giving a sound, secular philosophical interpretation. In other words, it becomes a religion acceptable to the contemporary, naturalistic mind only when it ceases to be a religion.

- Julian Baggini

topic: Teaching, Philosophical, Buddhism, Supernatural Elements

Compassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Christianity. They are profoundly similar.

- Karen Armstrong

source: "The way we live now: questions for Karen Armstrong; Talking religious liberties". Interview with Deborah Solomon, www.nytimes.com. April 04, 2004.

topic: Buddhism, Compassion, Keys, Christianity And Judaism

Whether you look at Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, wherever a distinction of sex is made, it is to the advantage of men. If you think of religions as if they were novels, the authors are men, and so are the major characters ...

- Katha Pollitt

source: "Ziggy Marley Explains His Identity". Big Think interview, bigthink.com.

topic: Sex, Character, Buddhism

Buddhism teaches you to embrace change.

- Koo Stark

topic: Buddhism, Embrace, Embrace Change

The concept (of happiness) is universal. In Buddhism, it is called causeless joy, in Christianity, the kingdom of heaven within, and in Judaism it is called ashrei, an inner sense of holiness and health. Is Islam it is called falah, happiness and well-being, and in Hinduism it is called ananda, or pure bliss.

- Marci Shimoff

topic: Happiness, Buddhism, Joy, Pure Bliss

I do feel Im being respectful to Buddhism and martial arts with Mortal Kombat.

- Mark Dacascos

topic: Art, Buddhism, Mortal Kombat, Be Respectful

When we seek happiness through accumulation, either outside of ourselves-from other people, relationships, or material goods-or from our own self-development, we are missing the essential point. In either case we are trying to find completion. But according to Buddhism, such a strategy is doomed. Completion comes not from adding another piece to ourselves but from surrendering our ideas of perfection.

- Mark Epstein

topic: Letting Go, Buddhism, Self

Buddhism teaches us that happiness does not come from any kind of acquisitiveness, be it material or psychological. Happiness comes from letting go. In Buddhism, the impenetrable, separate, and individuated self is more of the problem than the solution.

- Mark Epstein

source: "The 'big lesson' Mike Rowe learned several hundred times" by Mike Rowe, www.cnn.com. October 18, 2014.

topic: Letting Go, Buddhism, Self

I urge you to sin. But not against these itty-bitty religions, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism-or their secular derivatives, Marxism, Maoism, Freudianism and Jungianism-whic h are all derivatives of the big religion of patriarchy. Sin against the infrastructure itself!

- Mary Daly

topic: Buddhism, Islam, Derivatives, Patriarchy

In Buddhism, compassion always goes with wisdom. Compassion without wisdom is not understood to be true compassion, and wisdom without compassion is not true wisdom.

- Masao Abe

source: Masao Abe (2016). “Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue: Part one of a two-volume sequel to Zen and Western Thought”, p.15, Springer

topic: Buddhism, Compassion, Being True, True Wisdom

Buddhist nirvana ... is based on egolessness and is not anthropocentric but rather cosmological. In Buddhism, humans and the things of the universe are equally subject to change, equally subject to transitoriness or transmigration. A person cannot achieve emancipation from the cycle of birth and death until he or she can eliminate a more universal problem: the transience common to all things in the universe.

- Masao Abe

source: Masao Abe (2016). “Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue: Part one of a two-volume sequel to Zen and Western Thought”, p.80, Springer

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Common

There are things that I value now that I didn't when I first went over there, like Zen Buddhism, which has become part of my life over the last couple years.

- Matthew Sweet

topic: Couple, Buddhism, Years, Zen Buddhism

Children, old people, vagabonds laugh easily and heartily: they have nothing to lose and hope for little. In renunciation lies a delicious taste of simplicity and deep peace.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Children, Lying, Buddhism, Vagabonds

Nothing goes right on the outside when nothing is going right on the inside.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Buddhism, Suffering

The basic root of happiness lies in our minds; outer circumstances are nothing more than adverse or favourable.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Lying, Buddhism, Roots, Meditation Mindfulness

Knowledge does not mean mastering a great quantity of different information, but understanding the nature of mind. This knowledge can penetrate each one of our thoughts and illuminate each one of our perceptions.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Mean, Buddhism, Understanding

Envy and jealousy stem from the fundamental inability to rejoice at someone else's happiness or success

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Buddhism, Envy, Suffering

True freedom means freeing oneself from the dictates of the ego and its accompanying emotions.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Mean, Buddhism, Ego

Simplifying our lives does not mean sinking into idleness, but on the contrary, getting rid of the most subtle aspect of laziness: the one which makes us take on thousands of less important activities.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Mean, Buddhism, Suffering

When the mind is full of memories and preoccupied by the future, it misses the freshness of the present moment. In this way, we fail to recognize the luminous simplicity of mind that is always present behind the veils of thought.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Memories, Buddhism, Missing

Happiness is the main object of our aspirations, whatever name we give to it: fulfilment, deep satisfaction, serenity, accomplishment, wisdom, fortune, joy or inner peace, and however we try to seek it: creativity, justice, altruism, striving, completion of a plan or a piece of work.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Creativity, Buddhism, Names, Fulfilment

That's what Buddhism has been trying to unravel - the mechanism of happiness and suffering. It is a science of the mind.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Buddhism, Mind, Suffering

What counts is not the enormity of the task, but the size of the courage.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Size

By breaking down our sense of self-importance, all we lose is a parasite that has long infected our minds. What we gain in return is freedom, openness of mind, spontaneity, simplicity, altruism: all qualities inherent in happiness.

- Matthieu Ricard

topic: Buddhism, Self, Long, Self-importance

All self-help is Buddhism with a service mark

- Merlin Mann

topic: Buddhism, Self, Helping

You menace others with your deadly fangs. But in tormenting them, you are only tormenting yourselves.

- Milarepa

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Menace

The teachings of Osho, in fact, encompass many religions, but he is not defined by any of them. He is an illuminating speaker on Zen, Taoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Christianity and ancient Greek philosophy... and also a prolific author.

- Nevill Drury

topic: Philosophy, Teaching, Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Greek Philosophy

Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Happiness, Peace, Buddhism, Peace Is Every Step

In Buddhism, we speak of touching Nirvana with our own body, In Christianity, you can also touch the Kingdom of God with your body, right here and now. it is much safer than placing our hope in the future. If we cling to the idea of hope in the future, we might not notice the peace and joy that are available in the present moment. The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Life, Buddhism, Ideas

When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Buddhism, Acceptance, Deep Love, Deeply In Love

The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Buddhism, Order, Ideas

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Love, Buddhist, Buddhism

In Zen Buddhism, the greater your doubt, the greater will be your enlightenment. That is why doubt can be a good thing. If you are too sure, if you always have conviction, then you may be caught in your wrong perception for a long time.

- Nhat Hanh

topic: Time, Buddhism, Long, Zen Buddhism

A person of wisdom is not one who practices Buddhism apart from worldly affairs but, rather, one who thoroughly understands the principles by which the world is governed.

- Nichiren

topic: Wisdom, Buddhism, Practice

Buddhism is reason. Reason will win over your lord.

- Nichiren

topic: Buddhism, Winning, Over You

Change is one of the only constants in Buddhism; as meditation became the way I breathed in the days, this became apparent.

- Nick Flynn

topic: Buddhism, Meditation, Way

I come from an alcoholic Irish background - I know where I was going! But I met my wife and started to practise Buddhism, which is a levelling experience for me, and there hasn't been a day I've missed in 40 years. I apply it to everything - to my work and relationships. I try to be a compassionate person.

- Patrick Duffy

topic: Buddhism, Years, Wife

Come back to square one, just the minimum bare bones. Relaxing with the present moment, relaxing with hopelessness, relaxing with death, not resisting the fact that things end, that things pass, that things have no lasting substance, that everything is changing all the time-that is the basic message.

- Pema Chodron

topic: Buddhism, Squares, Suffering, Resisting

Somehow, in the process of trying to deny that things are always changing, we lose our sense of the sacredness of life. We tend to forget that we are part of the natural scheme of things.

- Pema Chodron

topic: Buddhism, Suffering, Trying, Sacredness Of Life, Sacredness

Impermanence is a principle of harmony. When we don't struggle against it, we are in harmony with reality.

- Pema Chodron

topic: Struggle, Buddhism, Reality, Impermanence, Meditation Mindfulness

Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.

- Pema Chodron

topic: Fall, Healing, Buddhism

I don't think about what I do. I do it. That's Buddhism. I jump off the cliff and build my wings on the way down.

- Ray Bradbury

topic: Buddhism, Thinking, Wings

There are certainly beliefs in traditional Buddhism that conflict with basic principles of scientific understanding, .. We can't make sense of those beliefs in any kind of scientific framework.

- Richard Davidson

topic: Buddhism, Understanding, Principles, Basic Principles

Tibetan Buddhism had an enormous impact on me.

- Richard Gere

topic: Buddhism, Impact, Enormous, Tibetan Buddhism

All of Chinese thinking - Confucianism, Taoism, as well as Buddhism - contains the idea that in the course of life, man will shape harmoniously those psychic and physical predispositions that he received as capital assets by unifying them and giving them form from within a center.

- Richard Wilhelm

source: Richard Wilhelm (2014). “Lectures on the "I Ching": Constancy and Change”, p.162, Princeton University Press

topic: Buddhism, Men, Thinking, Course Of Life

Buddhism has a very beautiful teaching that says the worst thing you can do to your soul is to tell someone their faith is wrong.

- Ricky Martin

source: "Ricky Martin: 'I hated it when people tried to force me to come out'" by Kira Cochrane, www.theguardian.com. July 3, 2011.

topic: Beautiful, Teaching, Buddhism

I think there's beauty in repetition. And that's part of my culture and African culture as well: repeated things, mantra. It's spiritual, it's meditation, it's Buddhism, it's praying, it's all these things.

- Robert Glasper

source: Source: www.motherjones.com

topic: Spiritual, Buddhism, Thinking, African Culture

Buddhism is all about science. If science is the systematic pursuit of the accurate knowledge of reality, then science is Buddhism, Buddhism is science.

- Robert Thurman

topic: Buddhism, Reality, Systematic, Pursuit Of Knowledge

It took me forty years of dealing with buddhism to finally realize that actually Buddha's discovery was happiness and bliss.

- Robert Thurman

topic: Buddhism, Discovery, Years

A handful of men working within the Zen sect of Buddhism created gardens in fifteenth-century Japan which were, and still are, far more than merely an aesthetic expression. And what is left of the earlier Mogul gardens in India suggests that their makers were acquainted with what lay behind the flowering of the Sufi movement in High Asia and so sought to add further dimensions to their garden scenes.

- Russell Page

topic: Buddhism, Men, Garden, Moguls

I am against conversion (to Buddhism). In my speech at UN, the first thing I said was that I am for conversion, but not from one organised religion to another, but from misery to happiness, from bondage to liberation.

- S. N. Goenka

topic: Buddhism, Speech, Firsts, Organised Religion, Vipassana

That was my real education in the world - I learned politics, the social and cultural life of India, Hindu tradition and religion, and Buddhism.

- Satish Kumar

topic: Real, Buddhism, World, Real Education

The spirit of Buddhism is, more than anything, about valuing harmony and unity, in which others are respected and embraced rather than denounced. This has been the way of Buddhism since the beginning, and this is true Buddhism.

- Shinjo Ito

source: Shinjō Itō (2009). “Shinjo: Reflections”, p.137

topic: Buddhism, Unity, Way

Treat every moment as your last. It is not preparation for something else.

- Shunryu Suzuki

topic: Yoga, Buddhism, Mma

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

- Shunryu Suzuki

topic: Buddhism, Purpose, Study

Western laziness consists of cramming our lives with compulsive activity, so that there is no time at all to confront the real issues.

- Sogyal Rinpoche

source: Sogyal Rinpoche (2009). “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying: The Spiritual Classic & International Bestseller: Revised and Updated Edition”, p.27, Harper Collins

topic: Real, Buddhism, Issues, Cramming

Our lives are lived in intense and anxious struggle, in a swirl of speed and aggression, in competing, grasping, possessing and achieving, forever burdening ourselves with extraneous activities and preoccupations.

- Sogyal Rinpoche

topic: Struggle, Buddhism, Forever, Swirls, Possessing

Modern civilization is largely devoted to the pursuit of the cult of delusion. There is no general information about the nature of mind. It is hardly ever written about by writers or intellectuals; modern philosophers do not speak of it directly; the majority of scientists deny it could possibly be there at all. It plays no part in popular culture: no one sings about it, no one talks about it in plays, and it's not on TV. We are actually educated into believing that nothing is real beyond what we can perceive with our ordinary senses.

- Sogyal Rinpoche

topic: Real, Believe, Buddhism, Modern Civilization

From the first, in people and in things, there is no such thing as trash. These words point to the fundamental truth of Buddhism, a truth I could not as yet conceive in those days.

- Soko Morinaga

source: "Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity". Book by Soko Morinaga, p. 29, June 15, 2002.

topic: Buddhism, People, Fundamentals

A text of Tibetan Buddhism describes the time of death as a unique opportunity for spiritual liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth and a period that determines our next incarnation.

- Stanislav Grof

topic: Spiritual, Buddhism, Unique, Death And Rebirth, Tibetan Buddhism

Buddhism, I think, is probably facing the single most difficult transition from one historical epoch to another, which is really the transition to modernity.

- Stephen Batchelor

topic: Buddhism, Thinking, Historical

While 'Buddhism' suggests another belief system, 'dharma practice' suggests a course of action. The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe; they are challenges to act.

- Stephen Batchelor

source: Stephen Batchelor (1998). “Buddhism without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening”, p.12, Penguin

topic: Believe, Buddhism, Practice

A secular approach is not a dumbing down, it's not reductively identifying Buddhism with one or two particular techniques of meditation, but it is actually a complete world view and way of life in this world.

- Stephen Batchelor

topic: Buddhism, Views, Two, Dumbing Down

The buddha-dharma does not invite us to dabble in abstract notions. Rather, the task it presents us with is to attend to what we actually experience, right in this moment. You don't have to look "over there." You don't have to figure anything out. You don't have to acquire anything. And you don't have to run off to Tibet, or Japan, or anywhere else. You wake up right here. In fact, you can only wake up right here. So you don't have to do the long search, the frantic chase, the painful quest. You're already right where you need to be.

- Steve Hagen

topic: Running, Buddhism, Japan, Frantic

It is not a Buddhist approach to say that if everyone practiced Buddhism, the world would be a better place. Wars and oppression begin from this kind of thinking.

- Sulak Sivaraksa

source: Sulak Sivaraksa (1992). “Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society”

topic: Buddhist, War, Buddhism

The more truthful I am with myself and others, the more my conscience is clear and tranquil. Thus, I can more thoroughly and unequivocally inhabit the present moment and accept everything that happens without fear, knowing that what goes around comes around (the law of karma). Ethical morality and self-discipline represent the good ground, or stable basis. Mindful awareness is the skillful and efficacious grow-path, or way. Wisdom and compassion constitute the fruit, or result. This is the essence of Buddhism [...]

- Surya Das

topic: Karma, Buddhism, Compassion, Law Of Karma, Goes Around Comes Around

The five points of yama, together with the five points of niyama, remind us of the Ten Commandments of the Christtian and Jewish faiths, as well as of the ten virtues of Buddhism. In fact, there is no religion without these moral or ethical codes. All spiritual life should be based on these things. They are the foundation stones without which we can never build anything lasting. (127)

- Swami Satchidananda

topic: Spiritual, Buddhism, Together, Jewish Faith

Buddha taught kindness towards lower beings; and since then there has not been a sect in India that has not taught charity to all beings, even to animals. This kindness, this mercy, this charity - greater than any doctrine - are what Buddhism left to us.

- Swami Vivekananda

topic: Kindness, Buddhism, Animal

When people ask the Dalai Lama, "Is Buddhism a religion?" he answers, "Yes, it is." Then they ask, "What kind of religion is it?" He responds, "My religion is kindness." You might think, "Everyone's is." Everyone's is. That's true. It's not complicated to describe the goal of a spiritual life. It's easier than you think to explain it. It's more difficult than you can imagine to do it.

- Sylvia Boorstein

topic: Spiritual, Kindness, Buddhism

Buddhism is a path of supreme optimism, for one of its basic tenets is that no human life or experience is to be wasted or forgotten, but all should be transformed into a source of wisdom and compassionate living.

- Taitetsu Unno

source: Taitetsu Unno (2002). “Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn into Gold”, p.17, Harmony

topic: Buddhism, Optimism, Path

Dharma has several connotations in South Asian religions, but in Buddhism it has two basic, interrelated meanings: dharma as 'teaching' as found in the expression Buddha Dharma, and dharma as 'reality-as-is' (abhigama-dharma). The teaching is a verbal expression of reality-as-is that consists of two aspects-the subject that realizes and the object that is realized. Together they constitute 'reality-as-is;' if either aspect is lacking, it is not reality-as-is. This sense of dharma or reality-as-is is also called suchness (tathata) or thatness (tattva) in Buddhism.

- Taitetsu Unno

topic: Teaching, Buddhism, Reality, Connotation

note the similarities with buddhism a buddhist who has achieved nirvana is not sad primarily because it does not know the concept of sad [...]

- Tao Lin

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Doe

I think the reason Buddhism and Western psychology are so compatible is that Western psychology helps to identify the stories and the patterns in our personal lives, but what Buddhist awareness training does is it actually allows the person to develop skills to stay in what's going on.

- Tara Brach

topic: Buddhist, Buddhism, Thinking, Compatible

In Zen Buddhism an action is considered good when it brings happiness and well-being to oneself and others, evil when it brings suffering and harm to oneself and others.

- Thich Thien-An

topic: Happiness, Buddhism, Evil, Zen Buddhism

To practice Zen Buddhism is to train oneself to eliminate hatred, anger and selfishness and to develop loving-kindness towards all.

- Thich Thien-An

topic: Kindness, Anger, Buddhism, Zen Buddhism

Buddhism has become a socially recognized religious philosophy for Americans, whereas it used to be considered an exotic religion.

- Thurston Moore

topic: Religious, Philosophy, Buddhism, Religious Philosophy

Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.

- Tiger Woods

topic: Buddhism, Track, Unhappy

In Buddhism there are words you can say... as you say the words with rhythm the conscious tells the subconscious

- Tina Turner

topic: Buddhism, Conscious, Rhythm

My faith foundation works to bring about a greater respect and understanding between different faiths. We basically work with six popular religions in the world which are the three Abrahamic religions, Hinduism and Buddhism and Sikhism.

- Tony Blair

topic: Buddhism, Understanding, Different, Different Faiths, Hinduism And Buddhism

Buddhism has had a major effect on who I am and how I think about the world. What I have learned is that I like all religions, but only parts of them.

- Uma Thurman

topic: Buddhism, Thinking, Who I Am

When asked if I consider myself Buddhist, the answer is, Not really. But it's more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it in an intellectual and spiritual environment. I don't practice or preach it, however. But Buddhism has had a major effect on who I am and how I think about the world. What I have learned is that I like all religions, but only parts of them.

- Uma Thurman

topic: Spiritual, Buddhist, Buddhism

The convent, which belongs to the West as it does to the East, to antiquity as it does to the present time, to Buddhism and Muhammadanism as it does to Christianity, is one of the optical devices whereby man gains a glimpse of infinity.

- Victor Hugo

topic: Buddhism, Men, Doe

I believe that dialogue is the key to breaking through our tendency to separate and isolate. Dialogue changes isolation and loneliness into connection and interdependence. This, I believe, is the essence of Buddhism.

- Vinessa Shaw

topic: Loneliness, Believe, Buddhism, Isolation And Loneliness, This I Believe

First of all, Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life and the world. It looks at things objectively (yath?bh?tam). It does not falsely lull you into living in a fool's paradise, nor does it frighten and agonize you with all kinds of imaginary fears and sins. It tells you exactly and objectively what you are and what the world around you is, and shows you the way to perfect freedom, peace, tranquility and happiness.

- Walpola Rahula

topic: Optimistic, Buddhism, Views, Lulls, Peace Tranquility