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Key Passages from Buddhist Scriptures

This section contains a selection of the most important passages from Buddhist Scriptures to study and contemplate for spiritual self-understanding.

Three Jewels of Buddhism I take refuge in the Buddha; the dharma; the sangha.
Gautama Buddha I declare to you that within the body… you can find the world, and the origin of the world, and the end of the world, and the path… to all the goals.

Dhammapada

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Four Noble Truths 1.      Existence of Sorrow
2.      Cause of Sorrow
3.      Cessation of Sorrow
4.   Way which leads to the cessation of Sorrow

Five Precepts

1.      Take the precept to abstain from killing
 2.      Take the precept to abstain from stealing
 3.      Take the precept to abstain from adultery
 4.      Take the precept to abstain from lying
 5.      Take the precept to abstain from liquor.

Eight-Fold Path

 

1.      Right Understanding (free from superstition and delusion)
 2.      Right Thought (high and worthy of the intelligent)
 3.      Right Speech (kindly, open, truthful)
 4.      Right Actions (peaceful, honest, pure)
 5.      Right Livelihood (not bringing hurt or danger to living being)
 6.      Right Effort (in self-training and in self-control)
 7.      Right Mindfulness (the active watchful mind)
 8.      Right Concentration (in deep meditation on the realities of life)

Ten Precepts

 

Do not kill.
Do not steal.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not tell lies.
Do not slander.
Do not speak harshly.
Do not engage in idle talks
Do not covet others’ property.
Do not show hatred.    
Think righteously

Ten Acts of Merit

 

Give charily to the deserving.
Observe the precepts of morality.
Cultivate and develop good thoughts,
Render service and attend on others.
Honor and nurse parents and elders,
Give a share of your merits to others.
Accept the merits that others give you.
Hear the doctrine of righteousness.
Preach the doctrine of righteousness.
Rectify your faults.

Three Warnings

 

Didn’t you ever see in the world a man or a woman, eighty, ninety or a hundred years old frail, crooked as a gable roof, bent down, resting on crutches, with tottering steps, infirm, youth long since fled, with broken teeth, gray and scanty hair or bald-headed, wrinkled with blotched limbs? And did the thought never come to you that you are also subject to decay that you also cannot escape it?

Did you never see in the world a man or a woman, who being sick, afflicted and grievously ill, and wallowing in his or her own filth, was lifted up by some people, and put to bed by others? And did the thought never come to you, that you, that you also are subject to disease, that you also cannot escape it?

Didn't you ever see in the world the corpse of a man or a woman, one or two or three days after death, swollen up, blue-black in color, and decomposing? And did the thought never come to you that you also are subject to death, that you also cannot escape it?

First Sermon at Sarnath

Addressing the five bhikshus, Buddha said:
Do not call Tathagata by his name, nor address him 'friend', for he is Buddha, the Holy One. Buddha looks equally with a kind heart on all living beings and they therefore call him 'Father'. To disrespect a father is wrong, to despise him is sin.

First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) The Tathagata does not seek liberation in austerities, but for that reason you must not think that he indulges in worldly pleasure, nor does he live in abundance. The Tathagata has found the 'Middle Path'.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) Neither abstinence from fish nor flesh, nor going naked, nor shaving the head, nor wearing matted hair, nor dressing in a rough garment, nor covering with dirt, nor sacrificing to fire, will cleanse a man who is not free from delusions.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) Reading the Vedas, making offering to priests or sacrifices to gods, self-mortification by heat or cold, and many such penances performed for the sake of immortality do not cleanse the man who is not free from delusions.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) Anger, drunkenness, obstinacy, bigotry, deception, envy, self-praise, disparaging others, superciliousness, and evil intentions constitute uncleanliness; no verily the eating of flesh.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd)

Let me teach you, O bhikshus, the middle path, which keeps aloof from both extremes.
By suffering, the emaciated devotee produces confusing and sickly thoughts in his mind.
Mortification is not conducive even to worldly knowledge; how much less to a triumph over the senses!

First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) He who fills his lamp with water will not dispel the darkness, and he who with tries to light a fire with rotten wood will fail.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) Mortifications are painful, vain and profitless. And how can anyone be free by leading a wretched if he does not succeed in quenching the fires of lust?        
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) All mortification is vain so long as self remains, so long as self continues to lust after worldly or heavenly pleasures. But he in whom self become extinct, is free from lust; he will desire neither worldly nor heavenly pleasures, and the satisfaction of his natural wants will not defile him. Let him eat and drink according to the needs of the body.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) Water surrounds the lotuses, but does not wet its petals. On the other hand, sensuality of all kinds is enervating. The sensual man is a slave of his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading an vulgar.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) But to satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom and keep our mind strong and clear.
First Sermon at Sarnath (cont'd) This is the 'Middle Path', O bhikshus, that keeps aloof from both extremes.
Setting the Wheel of Dharma in Motion

Lord Buddha said:
The spokes of the wheel are the rules of pure conduct; justice is the uniformity of length: wisdom is the tire; modesty and thoughtfulness are the hub in which the unmovable axle of truth is fixed.

Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) He who recognizes the existence of suffering, its cause, its remedy, and its cessation, has fathomed the Four Noble truths. He will walk in the right path.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) Right views will be the torch to light his way. Right aims will be his guide. Right words will be his dwelling-place on the road. His gait will be straight, for it is right behavior. His refreshments will be the right way of earning his livelihood. Right efforts will be his steps; Right thoughts his breath; and peace will follow in his footprints.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd)

Then the Blessed One explained the instability of self:
Whatsoever is originated will be dissolved again. All worry about the self is vain; the ego is like mirage and all the tribulations that touch it will pass away. They will vanish like a nightmare when the sleeper awakes.

Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) He who has awakened, is freed from fear; he has become Buddha; he knows the vanity of all his cares, his ambitions, and also of his pains.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) Happy is he who has overcome all selfishness; happy is he who has attained peace and happy is he who has found the truth.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) Truth is noble and sweet; truth can deliver you from evil. There is no savior in the world except truth.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) Have confidence in truth although you may not be able to comprehend it, although you may suppose its sweetness to be bitter, although you may shrink from it at first. Trust truth.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) Self is a fever, self is a transient vision, a dream, but truth is wholesome, truth is sublime, truth is everlasting. There is no immortality except in truth. For truth alone abides for ever.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd) A man who stands alone having decided to obey the truth may be weak and slip back into his old ways. Therefore stand together, assist one another, and strengthen one another's efforts.
Setting  the Wheel of Dharma in Motion (cont'd)

 

Be like brothers; one in love, one in holiness, and one in your zeal for the truth.
Spread the truth and preach the doctrine in all quarters of the world, so that in the end all living creatures will be citizens of the kingdom of righteousness.
Lead a holy life for extinction of suffering.

Gautama Buddha on Compassion I look for no recompense-not even to be reborn in heaven-but I seek the welfare of men to bring back those that have gone astray, to enlighten those that live in the night of error, to banish all pain and all suffering from the world.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Not for the sake of my own well-being I practice universal benevolence; but I love benevolence, because it is my desire to contribute to the happiness of living beings.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Whatsoever may be the cause of your suffering, do not wound another.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Whoso hurts and harms living creatures, destitute of sympathy for any living thing, let him be known as an outcast.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Goodwill toward all beings is the true religion; cherish in your heart boundless goodwill to all that lives.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) The distinctive signs of true religion are goodwill, love, truthfulness, purity, nobility of feeling and kindness.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) All beings long for happiness; therefore extend your compassion to all.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Hatreds never cease by hatred. By love alone they cease. This is an ancient law.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Forbearing patience is the highest asceticism. Nirvana is supreme-say the Buddhas. For he is not a recluse who harms another, nor is he an ascetic who molests others.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) By inflicting pain on others, he who wishes his own happiness is not released from hatred, being himself entangled in the tangles of hatred.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) As a mother, even at the risk of her life, protects her son, her only son; so let him who has recognized the truth, cultivate goodwill among all beings without measure.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) The charitable man is loved by all; his friendship is prized highly; in death his heart is at rest and full of joy, for he does not suffer from repentance; he receives the opening flower of his reward and the fruit that ripens from it.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Hard it is to understand: By giving away our food, we get more strength; by bestowing clothing on others, we gain more beauty; by founding abodes of purity and truth, we acquire great treasures.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) Just as the vigorous warrior goes to battle, so is the man who is able to give. Loving and compassionate, he gives with reverence and banishes all hatred, envy and anger.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) The charitable man has found the path of liberation. He is like the man who plants a sapling securing thereby the shade, the flowers and the fruits in future years. Even so is the result of charity, even so the joy of him who helps those that are in need of assistance; even so is the great nirvana.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) The immortal can be reached only by    continuous acts of kindness; and perfection is accomplished by compassion and charity.
Gautama Buddha on Compassion (cont'd) That which is most needed is a loving heart.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation There are five meditations. The first is meditation of love, in which you must so adjust your heart, that you long for the weal and welfare of all beings, including the happiness of your enemies.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd) The second is the meditation of pity, in which you think of all beings in distress, vividly representing their sorrows and anxieties in your imagination so as to arouse a deep compassion for them in your soul.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd) The third is the meditation of joy, in which you think of the prosperity of others and rejoice at their rejoicings.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd) The fourth is the meditation on impurity, in which you consider the evil consequences of corruption, the effects of sin and diseases. How trivial often the pleasure of the moment and how fatal its consequences!
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd) The fifth is the meditation on serenity, in which you rise above love and hate, tyranny and oppression, wealth and want, and regard your own fate with impartial calmness and perfect tranquility.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd)

There are four dhyanas (beatific vision):

1.      The first is seclusion, in which you must free your mind from sensuality

2.      The second is a tranquility of mind full of joy and gladness

3.      The third is taking delight in things spiritual

4.      The fourth is a state of perfect purity and peace, in which the mind is above all gladness and grief.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd) Be sober and abandon wrong practices which serve only to stultify your mind.
Gautama Buddha on Meditation (cont'd)

There are four means by which riddhi (domination of spirit over matter) is acquired:

1.      Prevent bad qualities from arising

2.      Put away bad qualities which have arisen

3.      Produce goodness that does not yet come to existence

4.      Search with sincerity and persevere in your search. In the end you will find the truth.

Gautama Buddha on Mind Mind is the forerunner of all activity; mind is the highest of all sensory powers. All relative concepts have their origin in the mind.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) Mind is the precursor of all perceptions. It is the most subtle of all elements in the phenomenal universe. All objectified consciousness has its origin in the mind. One who speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness abides with him as his own shadow.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) “I am being hated, mistrusted, misunderstood and deceived by others”-he who harbors such thoughts in his mind can never become free from the causes which inflict their destructiveness upon himself.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) He who has attained mastery over himself is indeed a greater conqueror than one who has vanquished a thousand enemies, a thousand times more powerful than he, yet remains a slave to his sensory self.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) One whose mind roams in search of outward beauty and grandeur; who is unable to keep masterly control over his senses; who eats impure food; who is lazy and lacking in moral courage; ignorance and sorrow overpower him just as the gale shatters the sapless tree.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) Just as raindrops leak into the house which is not well covered with a perfect roof, so attachment, hatred and delusion enter the mind which is averse to subjective meditation.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) He whose mind is not wetted by lust, he who is not affected by hatred, he who has discarded both good and evil, to such a vigilant one there is no fear.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) A heart that follows the path of ignorance does infinitely greater harm to man than his most hateful and vicious enemy.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) The wise man straightens the flickering, fickle mind, difficult to guard, difficult to control as a fletcher an arrow.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) Mind is the precursor of all perceptions. It is the most subtle of all elements in the phenomenal universe. All objectified consciousness has its origin in the mind. One who speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness abides with him as his own shadow.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) “I am being hated, mistrusted, misunderstood and deceived by others”-he who harbors such thoughts in his mind can never become free from the causes which inflict their destructiveness upon himself.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) He who has attained mastery over himself is indeed a greater conqueror than one who has vanquished a thousand enemies, a thousand times more powerful than he, yet remains a slave to his sensory self.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) One whose mind roams in search of outward beauty and grandeur; who is unable to keep masterly control over his senses; who eats impure food; who is lazy and lacking in moral courage; ignorance and sorrow overpower him just as the gale shatters the sapless tree.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) Just as raindrops leak into the house which is not well covered with a perfect roof, so attachment, hatred and delusion enter the mind which is averse to subjective meditation.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) He whose mind is not wetted by lust, he who is not affected by hatred, he who has discarded both good and evil, to such a vigilant one there is no fear.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) A heart that follows the path of ignorance does infinitely greater harm to man than his most hateful and vicious enemy.
Gautama Buddha on Mind (cont'd) The wise man straightens the flickering, fickle mind, difficult to guard, difficult to control as a fletcher an arrow.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) He who knows the nature of his self and understands how his senses act, finds no room for the "I" and thus he will attain peace unending. The world holds the thought of "I" and from this arises false apprehension.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) Some say that the "I" endures after death, some say it perishes. Both are wrong and their error is most grievous.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) For, if they say the "I" is perishable, the fruits they strive for, too will perish and at some time there will be no hereafter. This liberation from sinful selfishness is without merit.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) When some, on the other hand, say the 'I' will not perish, then in the midst of all life and death there is but one identity unborn and undying. If such is their '1' then it is perfect and cannot be perfected by deeds. The lasting imperishable 'I' would never be changed. The self would be lord and master, and there would be no use in perfecting the perfect, moral aims and liberation will be unnecessary.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) But now we see the marks of joy and sorrow. Where is any constancy? If it is not an 'I' that does our deeds, then there is no 'I'; there is no actor behind the doing, no perceiver behind the knowing, no lord behind the living.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) You that are slaves of "I" that toil in the service of self from morn to night, that live in constant fear of birth, old age, sickness, and death, receive the good tidings that your cruel master exists not.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) Self is an error, an illusion a dream. Open your eyes and awake. See things as they are and you will be comforted.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) He who is awake will no longer be afraid of nightmares. He who has recognized the nature of the rope that seemed to be a serpent ceases to tremble.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) He who has found there is no 'I' will let go all the lusts and desires of egotism.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) The cleaving to things, covetousness and sensuality, inherited from former existences, are the causes of misery and of the vanity of the world.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd) Surrender the grasping disposition of your selfishness, and you will attain that sinless calm state of mind which conveys perfect peace, goodness and wisdom.
Gautama Buddha on Self (cont'd)

If one knows that self is dear, one should protect oneself well. During any of the three watches, the wise man should keep vigil.

By oneself alone is evil done.

By oneself is one defiled.

By oneself is evil avoided.

By oneself alone is one purified.

Purity and impurity depend on oneself.

No one can purify another.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering What is evil? Killing is evil; stealing is evil; yielding to sexual passion is evil; lying is evil; slandering is evil; abuse is evil; gossip is evil; envy is evil; hatred is evil; to cling to false doctrine is evil.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) What is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil; hatred is the root of evil; illusion is the root of evil.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) Think not lightly of evil saying, “It will not come near me.” Even a jar is filled by the falling of drops. Likewise the fool, gathering little by little, fills himself with evil.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) Just as a merchant, with a small escort and great wealth, avoids a perilous way, or just as one desiring to live avoids poison, even so should one shun evil.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) There is no place on earth neither in the sky, nor in mid-ocean, nor in a mountain cave, where abiding, you may escape from the consequences of an evil deed done by you.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) All acts of living creatures become bad by ten things, and by avoiding the ten things they become good. There are three evils of the body, four evils of the tongue, and three evils of the mind.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) The three evils of the body are murder, theft and adultery.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) The four evils of the tongue are lying, slander, abuse and idle talk.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) The three evils of the mind are covetousness, hatred and error.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) I teach you to avoid the ten evils:
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

1.      Kill not, but have regard for life.

2.      Steal not, neither do you rob; but help everybody to be master of the fruits of his labor.

3.      Abstain from impurity, and lead a life of chastity.

4.      Lie not, but be truthful. Speak the truth with discretion, fearlessly and with a loving heart.

5.      Invent not evil report, neither do you repeat them. Carp not, but look for the good sides of your fellow-beings, so that you may with sincerity, defend them against their enemies.

6.      Swear not, but speak decently and with dignity.

7.      Waste not the time in gossip, but keep to the purpose or keep silence.

8.      Covet not, nor envy, but rejoice at the fortunes of others.

9.      Cleanse your heart of malice and harbor no hatred, not even against your enemies; but embrace all living beings with kindness.

10.  Free your mind of ignorance and be anxious to learn the truth, especially in the one thing that is needed, lest you fall a prey either to skepticism or to errors.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) Let a man overcome anger by love, evil by good, greed by liberality, the lie by truth.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd) To the sinful man sin appears sweet as honey. The fool who knows his folly, is wise at least so far. But a fool who thinks himself wise, he is a fool indeed.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

What is good?

Abstaining from theft is good; abstaining from sensuality is good; abstaining from falsehood is good; abstaining from slander is good; suppression of unkindness is good; avoiding gossip is good; letting go all envy is good; dismissing hatred is good; obedience to truth is good.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

What is the root of the good?

Freedom from desire, freedom from hatred, and freedom from illusion, these things, my friends, are the root of the good.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

What is suffering?

Birth is suffering; old age is suffering; disease is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and misery are suffering; affliction and despair are suffering; to be united with loathsome things is suffering; the loss of that which we love and the failure in attaining that which is longed for are suffering.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

What is the origin of suffering?

It is lust, passion, and the thirst for existence that yearns for pleasure everywhere, leading to a continual rebirth. It is sensuality, desire, selfishness; all these things are the origin of suffering.
Gautama Buddha on Evil, Good, And Suffering (cont'd)

What is the path that leads to the annihilation of suffering?

It is the holy Eight-fold Path that leads to the annihilation of suffering. In so far, O friends, as a noble youth thus recognizes suffering, and the origin of suffering and the path that leads to the annihilation of suffering, radically forsaking the "I am”, leaving ignorance, and attaining enlightenment, he will make an end of all suffering in this life.

Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus He who has abandoned both merit and demerit, he who is holy, he who lives with understanding in this world,-he, indeed, is called a bhikshu.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) Not by shaven head does an undisciplined man, who utters lies, become an ascetic. How will one be an ascetic who is full of desire and greed?
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) He who wholly subdues evil-both small and great-is called an ascetic, because he has overcome all evil.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) The bhikshu who look at a woman as a woman or touches her as a woman has broken his vow and is no longer a disciple of the Buddha.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) If, after all, O bhikshu, you must speak with a woman, let it be with pure heart, and think to yourself, “I as a bhikshu will live in this sinful world as the spotless leaf of the lotus, unsoiled by the mud in which it grows.”
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) If the woman be old, regard her as your mother, If young, as your sister, if very young as your child.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) Cover your head, O bhikshu, with the helmet of right thought, and fight with fixed resolve against the five desires.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) Lust beclouds a man's heart, when it is confused with woman's beauty and the mind is dazed.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) Better far with red-hot irons bore out your eyes, than encourage yourselves in sensual thoughts or look upon a woman's form with lustful desire.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) Good is restraint in body, good is restraint in speech. Good is restraint in mind, good is restraint everywhere. The monk restrained in everything is freed from all sorrow.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) He who is controlled in hand, foot, speech and in the highest (head); he who delights in meditation and is composed; he who is solitary and contented-him they call a bhikshu.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) He who has no “I” and “me” whatever towards mind and body, he who grieves not for that which he has not,-he, indeed is called a bhikshu.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) The bhikshu who has retired to a lonely abode, who has calmed his mind, who clearly perceives the Doctrine, experiences a joy transcending that of men.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) As the jasmine creeper sheds its withered flowers, even so , O bhikshus, you should totally shed lust and hatred.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd) The bhikshu, who, while still young, devotes himself to the Buddha's teachings, illumines this world as does the moon freed from a cloud.
Gautama Buddha on Bhikshus (cont'd)

Just as a kusha grass, wrongly grasped, cuts the very hand, even so the ascetic life, wrongly handled, drags one to hell.

Those sages who are harmless,

Ever restrained in body,

Go to the deathless state,

Wherever gone, they never grieve.

Gautama Buddha on Preacher When I have passed away and can no longer address you and edify your minds with religious discourse, select from among you men of good family and education to preach the truth in my stead.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) And let those men be invested with the robes of Tathagata. Let them enter into the abode of Tathagata, and occupy the pulpit of Tathagata.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The robe of Tathagata is sublime forbearance and patience. His abode is charity and love of all beings. His pulpit is the comprehension of the good law in its abstract meaning as well as in its particular application.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The Preacher must propound the truth with unshrinking mind. He must have the Power of Persuasion rooted in virtue and in strict fidelity to his vows.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) All who come to hear the doctrine, the Preacher must receive with benevolence, and his sermon must be without invidiousness.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The preacher must not be prone to carp at other, or to blame other preachers; nor speak scandal, nor propagate bitter words. He must not mention other disciples by name to vituperate them and reproach their demeanor.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) A preacher must be full of energy and cheerful hope, never tiring and never despairing of final success.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) No hostile feelings shall reside in his heart and he must never abandon the disposition of charity toward all beings.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) Into your hands, O you men of good family and education, who take the vow of preaching the words of the Tathagata the Blessed One transfers, entrusts and commands the good law of truth.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) Receive the good law of truth, keep it, read and re-read it, fathom it, promulgate it, and preach it to all beings in all quarters of the universe.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) Better than a thousand useless words, is a single useful sentence, hearing which one is pacified.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The good renounce every thing,
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The saintly speak not with craving of desire.
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) Touched by happiness or pain,
Gautama Buddha on Preacher (cont'd) The wise exhibits neither elation nor depression.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way” As the great rivers, when falling into main, lose their names and are thenceforth reckoned as the great ocean, so all the castes, having renounced their lineage and entered the Sangha, become brethren and are reckoned as the sons of Buddha.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) The ocean is the goal of all streams and of the rains from the clouds, yet it is never overflowing and never emptied; so the dharma is embraced by many millions of people yet it neither increases nor decreases.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) As the great ocean has only one taste, the taste of salt, so my doctrine has only one flavor, the flavor of emancipation.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) Both the ocean and the dharma are full of gems and pearls and jewels, and both afford a dwelling-place for mighty beings.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) My doctrine is pure, and it makes no discrimination between noble and ignoble, rich and poor.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) My doctrine is like water which cleanses all without any distinction.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) My doctrine is like fire which consumes all things that exist between heaven and earth, great and small.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) My doctrine is like the heavens, for there is ample room for the reception of all, for men and women, boys and girls, powerful and lowly.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) But when I spoke, they knew me not and would say, 'Who may this be who thus speaks, a man or a god?' Then having instructed, quickened, and gladdened them with religious discourse, I would vanish away. But they knew me not even when I vanished away.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) The disciple of the fully Enlightened One, delights in the destruction of craving.
Gautama Buddha on “My Way”(cont'd) The disciple of the fully Enlightened One, delights in the destruction of craving.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous (cont'd) Rise from dreams and loiter not.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous (cont'd) Open your mind to truth.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous (cont'd) Practice righteousness and you will find eternal bliss.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous (cont'd) The bliss of spiritual life is attainable by everyone who walks in the noble Eight-fold Path. He that cleaves to wealth, had better cast it away than allow his heart to be poisoned by it; but he who does not cleave to wealth, and possessing riches uses them rightly, will be a blessing to his fellow-beings.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous Remain in your station of life and apply yourself with diligence to your enterprises. It is not life and wealth and power that enslave men, but the cleaving to life and wealth and power.
Gautama Buddha on Miscellaneous (cont'd) </