Top 18 Authentic Buddhist Quotes (Insight Meditation)

There are endless fake Buddhist quotes out in the public domain. I have chosen these based on their wisdom and the fact that they contain some of the most essential Buddhist teachings. There are 2 main schools of Buddhism: Mahayana and Theravada. While each of these has its differences, at their essence, they are the same.

In Mahayana, there is the idea of Buddha-nature (historically also sometimes called the Tathagatagarbha) and in Theravada, there is the idea of no-self. These two ideas refer to the same cornerstone philosophy of Buddhism, which is the idea of “pure awareness.” This is the unadulterated awareness that your mind is in when you are not thinking and there are no other mental fluctuations. If you would like to know where the quotes come from, please do not hesitate to ask.

Transcript

A fool is happy until his mischief turns against him,

And a good man may suffer until his goodness flowers.

Right speech,

Harmlessness,

Restraint in speaking ill of others,

Moderation in food,

At peace in remoteness and solitude,

Devotion to higher meditation.

This is the teachings of the Buddhas.

By amending our mistakes,

We get wisdom.

By defending our faults,

We betray an unsound mind.

There is no evil like hatred,

And no fortitude like patience.

Now there is a cure in coolness and calm,

But in heat and passion there can be no cure.

Do not choose bad friends.

Do not choose persons of low habits.

Select good friends.

Be discriminating.

Choose the best.

We who are like senseless children shrink from suffering but love its causes.

We hurt ourselves.

Our pain is self-inflicted.

Why should others be the object of our anger?

Whatever harm an enemy may do to an enemy,

Or a hater to hater,

An ill-directed mind inflicts on oneself greater harm.

There is no fire like the fire of lust.

There is no sin like the sin of hatred.

There are no sufferings like the sufferings of existence.

There is no happiness like supreme tranquility.

Though one should conquer a thousand times a thousand men in battle,

Yet would he be the mightiest conqueror who should conquer one himself?

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism,

But to study ourselves.

How to cope with wavering thoughts?

Versatile are flying clouds,

Yet from the sky they're not apart.

Mighty are the ocean waves,

Yet they are not separate from the sea.

Heavy and thick are banks of fog,

Yet from the air they're not apart.

Frantic runs the mind in voidness,

Yet from the void it never separates.

Opening the door on voidness of identity,

Clear awareness floods everywhere,

And though everywhere,

Nowhere is an identity found.

You should know that so far as Buddha nature is concerned,

There is no difference between an enlightened man and an ill one.

What makes the difference is that one realizes it,

While the other is ignorant of it.

Whatever harms are in the world,

Whatever dangers and sufferings are in the world,

All of these arise from grasping at the self.

At the self.

What good is this great demon for me?

The great Brahman has said,

Beings are polluted by seeking meditation.

There is nothing at all on which to meditate.

A single instant of being without yearning,

That is the meditation of the Maha Mudra.

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities,

In the expert's mind there are few.

The empty essence of your awareness is not created by anyone.

Without causes and conditions,

It is originally present.

Don't try to change or alter awareness.

Let it remain exactly as it is.

Thus,

You will be free from straying,

And awaken within the state of primordial purity.

Reviews

Excellent collection of sayings. I feel I will need to listen repeatedly to be able to understand them all. Or perhaps writing each out and meditating on one at a time would allow me to better feel the idea encompassed in each saying. So much to understand! Thank you.