Buddhist Wisdom for Today
Quotes and Teachings from the world of Buddhism and beyond, updated each weekday
When we let go of our attachments—our fixed way of thinking, worldly matters, or even the sacred path—and fully entrust ourselves to Amitabha Buddha, we realize that we have lost nothing, for the name of Amitabha Buddha encompasses everything. — Master Huiyuan. 26 March 2025
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- The practice of looking into the nature of the mind is called “insight meditation”. In order to practise insight meditation, we first need to develop a steady mind, a mind free from conceptual thought. We do this through the cultivation of single-pointed concentration, whereby the mind can become stable and devoid of thoughts, thus allowing us to rest in its clarity. — His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche. 25 March 2025
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- It is our own pain, and our own desire to be free of it, that alerts us to the suffering of the world. It is our personal discovery that pain can be acknowledged, even held lovingly, that enables us to look at the pain around us unflinchingly and feel compassion being born in us. We need to start with ourselves. — Sylvia Boorstein. 24 March 2025
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- If somehow / the lotus in my heart / should begin to open / like this one / how glad I would be. — Ōtagaki Rengetsu. 21 March 2025
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- The world is vast, boundless and wide, Yet it all exists within the “I”. Because of “I”, the world unfolds, Because of “I”, the cycle of samsara rolls. The path of the sages and wise, Demands the practitioner to cast away the “I”. With “I” completely removed, enlightenment draws near, Liberation from samsara is clear. — Master Jueyue. 20 March 2025
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- Let none deceive another, Or despise any being in any state. Let none through anger or ill-will Wish harm upon another. Even as a mother protects with her life Her child, her only child, So with a boundless heart Should one cherish all living beings; Radiating kindness over the entire world — Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta (Sn 1.8). 19 March 2025
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- If the gold ore is not refined one will not obtain pure gold, if the milk is not churned one will not obtain butter, and if the sesame seed is not pounded one will not produce sesame oil. In the same way, although buddha-nature is present in the minds of all beings, if the accidental stains are not removed, buddhahood will not be attained. — Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche. 18 March 2025
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- Just as the victorious buddhas of the past / Set their minds upon awakening, then carried out activity, / I too generate such an intention so as to benefit beings, / And shall carry out bodhisattva activity on a vast scale. — Karma Chakmé. 17 March 2025
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- In the Lotus Sutra it is taught by the Buddha that everyone has the buddhata, buddha-nature, within, and you are a buddha. There is a baby buddha waiting in you and you might lead your daily life in such a way to allow the buddha in you to bloom, like a lotus seed. — Thich Nhat Hanh. 14 March 2025
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- Instead of having a fault-finding mind, develop the beautiful attitude of gratitude. — Ajahn Brahm. 13 March 2025
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- To the buddhas of the ten directions I join my hands in respect. Let blaze the light of Dharma’s truth For the beings lost in darkness. — Shantideva. 12 March 2025
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- The first thing is for you to study Dhamma, the second is for you to practice Dhamma, and the third is for you to receive the fruits of practicing Dhamma. Look at these clearly and carefully consider their benefits. Each of you must be fully self-reliant in doing so. It’s up to each of you to realize the meaning, way, and benefits of practicing Dhamma. — Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. 11 March 2025
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- There is a simple way to become a buddha: When you refrain from unwholesome actions, are not attached to birth and death, and are compassionate toward all sentient beings, respectful to seniors and kind to juniors, not excluding or desiring anything, with no designing thoughts or worries, you will be called a buddha. Do not seek anything else. — Dōgen Zenji. 10 March 2025
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- Don’t mistake mere words to be the meaning of the teachings. Mingle the practice with your own being and attain liberation from samsara right now!. ― Padmasambhava. 7 March 2025
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- When we see deeply that all that is subject to arising is also subject to cessation, that whatever arises will also pass away, the mind becomes disenchanted. Becoming disenchanted, one becomes dispassionate. And through dispassion, the mind is liberated. — Joseph Goldstein. 6 March 2025
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- Sincerely take to heart the fact that the time of Death lies uncertain. Then knowing that there is not time to waste, diligently apply yourself to spiritual practice! — Tsele Natsok Rangdrol. 5 March 2025
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- In Buddhism, the word “emptiness” is a translation of the Sanskrit sunyata. It means “empty of a separate self.” It is not a negative or despairing term. It is a celebration of interconnectedness, of interbeing. It means nothing can exist by itself alone, that everything is inextricably interconnected with everything else. — Sister Chan Khong. 4 March 2025
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- We rush to find authentic companionship, security, recognition, and success, or simply peace and quiet. We may even succeed in grasping some semblance of our desires. But just like the wanderer, when we depend on external substantiation, eventually we are disappointed. Things are not as they seem: they are impermanent and they are not entirely within our control. — Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. 3 March 2025
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- All the buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists. This Mind, which is without beginning, is unborn and indestructible. — Huangbo Xiyun. 28 February 2025
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- Love for yourself shows in several ways: being happy, embracing joy, and being able to laugh. Try doing these regularly—and being happy ranks as the most important. — Master Jingzong. 27 February 2025
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- Nowadays we all boast that we are Dharma practitioners, but we have not severed our attachment to the things of this life, we have not turned our minds away from cyclic existence, we have not relinquished even the smallest of our desires — for friends and relations, entourage, servants, food and clothes, pleasant conversation, and the like. As a result, any positive activities we undertake are not really effective. Our minds and the Dharma go different ways. — Dudjom Rinpoche. 26 February 2025
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- Meditation means to make the mind peaceful in order to let wisdom arise. This requires that we practice with body and mind in order to see and know the sense impressions of form, sound, taste, smell, touch and mental formations. — Ajahn Chah. 25 February 2025
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- The pristine radiance of the sun of lucid explanations Unfolds the lotus of intelligence in the fortunate, Simultaneously clearing the fog of mistaken paths— May the light of the Buddha’s teachings be all pervading! — Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. 24 February 2025
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- What you are now is the result of what you were. What you will be tomorrow will be the result of what you are now. The consequences of an evil mind will follow you like the cart follows the ox that pulls it. The consequences of a purified mind will follow you like your own shadow. No one can do more for you than your own purified mind—no parent, no relative, no friend, no one. A well-disciplined mind brings happiness. — Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. 21 February 2025
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- May we embrace the Buddha’s teachings that inspire us to practice the essential sublime Dharma now when we are enjoying excellent human lives, so hard to come by and blessed with freedoms and advantages. — Sera Khandro. 20 February 2025
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- The Buddha urged us to get off our chairs, our couches, and our cushions and get moving: to start living as though our lives meant something, to “awaken” to the knowledge that the ways we think, feel, and act have an effect on the world around us. — Tsoknyi Rinpoche. 19 February 2025
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- Perfect enlightenment pervades all, serenity and destruction are not two / All that is visible is Avalokiteshvara, all that is audible is the mystical sound / No other truth than seeing and hearing / Do you understand? / Mountain is mountain, water is water. — Seongcheol Sunim. 18 February 2025
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- Peacemaking requires compassion. It requires the skill of listening. To listen, we have to give up ourselves, even our own words. We listen until we can hear our peaceful nature. As we learn to listen to ourselves, we learn to listen to others as well, and new ideas grow. — Preah Maha Ghosananda. 17 February 2025
