Quotes from The Buddha

The Buddha (Gautama Siddhartha)
 "Buddha" means "the awakened one"--that is, someone who has woken up from the dream of being a separate ego in a material universe. Gautama Siddhartha, whom we affectionately, [mistakenly], call the Buddha, taught for forty-five years. In all those years, and in the hundreds of thousands of teaching words that he uttered, his message was simply this: "You are all Buddhas. There is nothing you need to achieve. Just open your eyes."

Those who experience the unity of life see their own
Selves in all beings, and all beings in their own Selves,
and look on everything with an impartial eye.


However many holy words you read, However many you speak,
What good will they do you
If you do not act on upon them?


I do not believe in a fate that falls on people however they act;
but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If one speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows that person. If one speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows that person, like a shadow that never leaves him or her. A man walking along a highroad sees a great river, its near bank dangerous and frightening, its far bank safe.  He collects sticks and foliage, makes a raft, paddles across the river, and reaches the other shore.  Now suppose that, after he reaches the other shore, he takes the raft and puts it on his head and walks with it on his head wherever he goes.  Would he be using the raft in an appropriate way?  No; a reasonable man will realize that the raft has been very useful to him in crossing the river and arriving safely on the other shore, but that once he has arrived, it is proper to leave the raft behind and walk on without it.  This is using the raft appropriately.    In the same way, all truths should be used to cross over; they should not be held on to once you have arrived.  You should let go of even the most profound insight or the most wholesome teaching; all the more so, unwholesome teachings. Be a lamp to yourself.  Be your own confidence.   Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth. We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world. Believe nothing, O monks, merely because you have been told it . . . or because it is traditional, or because you yourself have imagined it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings--that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide. Happy are they who have overcome their ego; happy are they who have attained peace; happy are they who have found the Truth. Let a person overcome anger by kindness, evil by good. . . . Victory breeds hatred, for the conquered is unhappy. . . Never in the world does hatred cease by hatred; hatred ceases by love. The fault of others is easily perceived, but that of one's self is difficult to perceive; a man winnows his neighbor's faults like chaff, but his own fault he hides, as a cheat hides an unlucky cast of the die. Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten. You can search 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. In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. Teach this triple truth to all:  A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people.  It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills. Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Once a person is caught by belief in a doctrine, one loses all one's freedom. When one becomes dogmatic, that person believes his or her doctrine is the only truth and that all other doctrines are heresy.  Disputes and conflicts all arise from narrow views. They can extend endlessly, wasting precious time and sometimes even leading to war. Attachment to views is the greatest impediment to the spiritual path. Bound to narrow views, one becomes so entangled that it is no longer possible to let the door of truth open. Everything is extraordinarily clear.  I see the whole landscape before me, I see my hands, my feet, my toes, and I smell the rich river mud.  I feel a sense of tremendous strangeness and wonder at being alive.  Wonder of wonders. As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise you will miss most of your life.

"The Power of Acceptance"

Have you ever been called judgmental? How about a gossip? Highly critical? A cynic? Or a pessimist? The odds were, if you were called that, you were probably displaying a non-accepting attitude. And, to be sure, the person who called you this was being judgmental. One of the key steps to discovering our purpose (or at the least a major block to living it) is learning to accept others. By acceptance, this does not mean that we condone nasty behavior. Nor does it mean remaining in a situation damaging to our self-esteem due to someone else's problems. Acceptance means recognizing and showing appreciation for our differences. If we hold up our hand we may glimpse an instantly recognizable characteristic demonstrating our uniqueness: our fingerprints. Each person has a unique thumb-print, no matter what race, gender, age or size. Respecting each person for their uniqueness is simply what we would like from them, so we must give it out first. The opposite of acceptance is judgment. Judgments leads to fear. Judgments lead to anger. Anger leads to conflict, which can lead to a battle or war. How many lawsuits would be avoided if people refrained from speaking ill of others? The word "libel" would no longer be relevant in our society. How many atrocities, from rape to genocide, have been committed because of differences in race, culture or religion? Yet, there are many races, cultures and religions. How many wars would be avoided if the people from both sides practiced acceptance rather than judgment? To live in the New World, we will need to accept these differences and send love, rather than judgment, to help build understanding of others. One method to track how often we judge is to keep an "anti-judgment journal." In the journal, note how often we pass judgment over the course of a week. Even if you do not verbalize the judgment, write it down. You might be surprised how often you judge others. I sure was surprised when I first did this exercise -- we can all stand to improve our acceptance of others and situations. In the anti-judgment journal, keep track of any negative or judgmental thought, including thoughts or statements about your current environment, your living situation, your job, your friends, your lovers or ex-lovers, and family. Include thoughts about politics or other events. There is an old saying that the first step to recovery is acknowledgment. Writing down these thoughts is your acknowledgment. Don't be discouraged, because this is the first step to learning to accept these things and remove the judgment. At the end of each day, write down the opposite thought (acceptance) for each of your judgments you wrote down, in a separate journal. By the end of the week, you may have identified 80% of the things you judge. Imagine what will happen in your life when you learn to accept those 80% instead of reject them. This will shine a light on the things you worry about, the people who bother you, and those who you need to forgive. Try it and then make sure to do the step of acceptance/opposite thought. You will then have a blueprint plan for improving your life. Simply adopt the acceptance journal comments as your new belief structure. When we are judging we have a hard time loving. Since love is a key to discovering and living our purpose, then judgment is a block. In accepting others, I do not mean accepting negative situations or being apathetic; on the contrary, accepting is simply freeing your mind of the negative thoughts that can distract you from living in authenticity. Some things were meant to be rejected from our lives, but in love, not judgment. In releasing others from judgment, it can be helpful to pray, forgive, or even ask for forgiveness from those who wronged us. Often, when we've been wronged, we also wronged someone else. How about releasing the judgment to God. It simply isn't our place to judge. Our ego may wrestle with the idea of asking another for forgiveness, by insisting we were right or justified to say or do what we did. Even if we failed to accept in the past, we can start to accept today. The path to acceptance may seem lined with thorns, but in reality it is the only healthy path to take. Sometimes, our biggest block to forgiveness is not anger, but guilt. So examine your own heart, too, and forgive yourself first, so that you can forgive others. Utilize acceptance to enable your path to success. Acceptance is the only path towards positive change. And, we cannot accept if we're too busy judging. Clear the judgment and you free the space to accept. The journey can begin today. If you have felt blocked regarding discovering your purpose, building a loving relationship, or finding a better job, or creating a life of abundance, then discovering the freedom in acceptance may certainly put you back on the path. You have all the power within you to judge or accept. The choice is yours. You are wonderful in who you are today. You are loved and accepted. Find the acceptance and you will find your joy.