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The Buddha taught us how we can achieve enlightenment to help us emerge from our own immaturity. By becoming enlightened, we utilize our own understanding to move forward in our personal growth.
In today’s post, we get a glimpse of what it’s like to live as one who has received enlightenment through Buddha’s pithy words about life, death, and everything in between.
We feature 81 Buddha quotes on the topics of happiness, love and compassion, peace, anger, life, death, change, wisdom and action. Perhaps in following
So, here are the words of the Enlightened One.
Buddha Quotes on Happiness
- “It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.”
- “A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
- “Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing.”
“Happy indeed we live, we who possess nothing.” – The Buddha #buddha #quotes #quotestoliveby
- “Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness and benefit.”
- “If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows them like a never-departing shadow.”
- “May all beings have happy minds.”
- “It is ridiculous to think that somebody else can make you happy or unhappy.”
- “To one ever eager to revere and serve the elders, these four blessings accrue: long life and beauty, happiness and power.
To one ever eager to revere and serve the elders, these four blessings accrue: long life and beauty, happiness and power.”– The Buddha
- “One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.”
- “There is no fire like lust and no crime like hatred. There is no ill like the aggregates of existence and no peace higher than the peace of Nirvana.”
- “Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.”
- “If by renouncing a lesser happiness one may realize a greater happiness, let the wise one renounce the lesser, having regard for the greater.”
- “Let him associate with friends who are noble, energetic, and pure in life, let him be cordial and refined in conduct. Thus, full of joy, he will make an end of suffering.”
- “Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
- “Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.”
- “Full of joy, full of faith in the Teaching of the Buddha, the monk attains the Peaceful State, the bliss of cessation of conditioned things.”
Full of joy, full of faith in the Teaching of the Buddha, the monk attains the Peaceful State, the bliss of cessation of conditioned things.” – The Buddha
- “Entangled by the bonds of hate, one who seeks happiness by inflicting pain on others is never delivered from hatred.”
- “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of that candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
In Buddhism, developing compassion is one of the ways to achieve enlightenment. The way to show compassion is by wanting all beings to experience happiness and freedom from suffering.
It also means making an effort to alleviate the suffering experienced by others.
Below are Buddha quotes on love and compassion that will hopefully inspire you to become more kind and loving in your interaction with others.
Buddha Quotes on Love and Compassion
- “If you truly loved yourself, you could hurt another.”
- “Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”
- “We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.”
- “Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law.”
- “If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”
If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.”– The Buddha
- “He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.”
- “True love is born from understanding.”
- “You cansearch 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.”
- “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
- “Love is a gift of one’s innermost soul to another so both can be whole.”
- “If you wish to be gentle with others, be gentle first with yourself.”
- “Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.”
- “You should respect each other and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.”
- “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.” – The Buddha
Buddhists see anger as a destructive force. Nothing in Buddha’s teachings supports violence in any way.
Anger can quickly become aggression or violence. You have already probably experienced the devastating effects of anger left unchecked.
Anger, therefore, is an emotion that needs to be understood and dealt with properly so that its destructive potential is contained and channeled appropriately.
Meanwhile, peace and non-violence are advocated by Buddha through his teachings. In fact, Buddhism is one of the most peaceful religious traditions in the world.
Below are several Buddha quotes on peace and anger. May these words help you reflect on how it is to live a life free from the weight of anger and hate. On how it is to be truly free and experience pure joy.
(You may also want to visit this post to learn 19 strategies on how to let go of anger.)
Buddha Quotes on Peace and Anger
- “Peace is the highest bliss.”
- “Shame on him who strikes a holy man, and more shame to him who gives way to anger.”
- “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” – The Buddha
- “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
- “An outside enemy exists only if there is anger inside.”
- “Better than a thousand useless words is one useful word, hearing which one attains peace.”
- “When it is impossible for anger to arise within you, you find no outside enemies anywhere.”
- “Friendship is the only cure for hatred, the only guarantee of peace.”
- “In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”
- “To understand everything is to forgive everything.”
- “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.”
- “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”– The Buddha
The purpose of life is something that’s explored by Buddha when he achieved enlightenment.
The Buddha quotes on life you’ll read below are a reflection of how life is viewed in this religious tradition.
Buddha Quotes on Life
- “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
- “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
- “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” – The Buddha
- “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”
- “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”
- “Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.”
- “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.”
- “In the end, these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?”
In the end, these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?”
- “Pain is certain. Suffering is optional.”
- “The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There’s only one moment for you to live.”
- “Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds.”
- “Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.”
- “Life is so very difficult. How can we be anything but kind?”
In Buddhism, death is just a part of the natural cycle of things. If there is a beginning, then an end is sure to follow.
Buddha himself believed that death is “the greatest teacher.” His words of wisdom about death show us the impermanence of everything. May these Buddha quotes on death awaken within you a deeper appreciation for your life and of those you love.
Buddha Quotes on Death
- “The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world.”
- “Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.”
- “Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.”
Whatever has the nature of arising has the nature of ceasing.” – The Buddha
- “All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”
- “Heedfulness is the path to the Deathless. Heedlessness is the path to Death. The heedful die not. The heedless are as if dead already.”
- “Some do not understand that we must die, but those who do realize this settle their quarrels.”
- “But those who act according to the perfectly taught Dharma will cross the realm of Death, so difficult to cross.”
- “Neither in the sky nor in mid-ocean, nor by entering into mountain clefts, nowhere in the world is there a place where one may will not be overcome by death.”
- “This city (body) is built of bones, plastered with flesh and blood; within are decay and death, pride and jealousy.”
- “As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).”
As a mighty flood sweeps away the sleeping village, so death carries away the person of distracted mind who only plucks the flowers (of pleasure).”
- “Those sages who are inoffensive and ever-restrained in body, go to the Deathless State, where, having gone, they grieve no more.”
- “From endearment springs grief, from endearment springs fear. From him who is wholly free from endearment there is no grief, whence then fear?”
- “Let go of the past, let go of the future, let go of the present, and cross over to the farther shore of existence. With mind wholly liberated, you shall come no more to birth and death.”
- “Just as a cowherd drives the cattle to pasture with a staff, so do old age and death drive the life force of beings (from existence to existence).”
Just as a cowherd drives the cattle to pasture with a staff, so do old age and death drive the life force of beings (from existence to existence).” – The Buddha
According to Buddhist belief, everything in life is constantly changing. Nothing is permanent.
Moreover, in Buddhism, wisdom is one of the two fundamental goals in life (the other one is compassion).
To achieve enlightenment, one has to accept the impermanence of everything. Also, one has to strive to live a compassionate life, to constantly pursue wisdom and to act with the right conduct.
The following quotes help distill the philosophy and show us where we can best apply Buddha’s words in our own lives.
Buddha Quotes on Change, Wisdom, and Action
- “One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world.”
- “It is better to travel well than to arrive.”
- “A jug fills drop by drop.”
A jug fills drop by drop.” – The Buddha
- “Chaos in inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”
- “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.”
- “If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good.”
- “A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but is he peaceful, loving, and fearless then he is in truth called wise.”
- “Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”
- “If you are facing in the right direction, all you need to do is keep walking.”
- “Nothing is permanent.”
Nothing is permanent.” – The Buddha
Who Was Buddha?
Only a few details are known about the life of Siddharta Gautama, the man who would later be known throughout the world as The Buddha, or the Enlightened One. He was born into a life of privilege in a village near present-day Nepal around the 5th or 6th century.
As a prince, he only witnessed the hardships of the outside world when he was in his late 20’s. The experience spurred him to go on a quest for enlightenment (or Nirvana). Once he achieved Nirvana, he became known as Buddha.
He imparted his teachings to many so that others can achieve Nirvana as well.
Final Thoughts on Buddha Quotes
Did any of the Buddha quotes featured above reflect your own life’s philosophy? Do you find yourself in agreement with the words of the Enlightened One?
It would be awesome to know your experience about enlightenment. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
One teaching of Buddhism is to live in the present moment. One way of doing this is by practicing mindfulness. You might want to check out 71 mindfulness exercises for living in the present.
If any of the artworks resonated with you, we appreciate a share through your social media of choice.
All the best in your journey to enlightenment!
And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what’s truly important to you..
