| Buddha means "Awakened One", someone who has | | | | Moment " and in "Clock Time vs. Psychological Time ". |
| awakened and sees things as they really are. | | | | The present moment is the entry point to the spiritual |
| According to AboutBuddha.org , a Buddha is a person | | | | dimension and to life itself. |
| who is completely free from all faults and mental | | | | 5. "However many holy words you read, however |
| obstructions. Because he has awakened from the | | | | many you speak, what good will they do you If you do |
| sleep of ignorance and has removed all obstructions | | | | not act on upon them?" |
| from his mind, he knows everything of the past, | | | | Action is what counts. It means to be action-oriented |
| present, and future, directly and simultaneously. | | | | and to actually do what we think, to prove what we |
| Moreover, Buddha has great compassion which is | | | | believe by applying it in reality. Only if we "walk our |
| completely impartial, embracing all living beings without | | | | talk" we are authentic and truthful to ourselves. |
| discrimination. | | | | To apply yourself and your ideas in reality is like a |
| The person who is generally referred to by the name | | | | proof-test for what we think is right and will work. If |
| Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama , a spiritual teacher | | | | there is no action and therefore no testing in reality, the |
| from ancient India and the founder of Buddhism who | | | | words or ideas themselves are of no real sustainable |
| lived at around 500 BCE. Forty-nine days after Buddha | | | | value. |
| attained enlightenment he was requested to teach. As | | | | Another quote for this message is "A dog is not |
| a result of this request, Buddha rose from meditation | | | | considered a good dog because he is a good barker. |
| and taught the first Wheel of Dharma. | | | | A man is not considered a good man because he is a |
| Those teachings of The Buddha such as The Four | | | | good talker." |
| Noble Truths or the Noble Eightfold Path are timeless | | | | 6. "Even death is not to be feared by one who has |
| and reflect personal and spiritual development. | | | | lived wisely." |
| Many quotes that are handed down until today are | | | | This is the essence of Carpe diem - To seize the day |
| both inspirational as well as reflecting deeper truth of | | | | fully means living wisely. It means to live to the highest |
| reality. What can we learn, where can we be inspired | | | | truth we know and to rise to our highest values and |
| from The Buddha today for everyday life and our | | | | capabilities. |
| own development? | | | | Living wisely also means not to believe every thought |
| I selected following quotations as both inspirational and | | | | that comes, but to live more from the space between |
| helpful, regardless of where we are in personal | | | | thoughts, from our essence. |
| development ... | | | | 7. "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." |
| 1. "All that we are is the result of what we have | | | | The so-called Inside-Out approach means to look |
| thought. The mind is everything. What we think we | | | | within oneself to find the inspiration and power to act |
| become." | | | | from this place. It means not to look to the outside |
| You become what you think about or in other words: | | | | world for liberation or happiness, but to take the |
| what you focus on grows in your life and from what | | | | responsibility for oneself and become that what we |
| you take your focus away from diminishes. This is also | | | | are seeking. |
| the message of the law of attraction, recently very | | | | His second quote here "No one saves us but |
| popular by the movie and book "The Secret ". | | | | ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves |
| It means that the mind is directing our life in that way | | | | must walk the path." talks directly about this |
| that we manifest the life around us by the thoughts | | | | responsibility, response-ability we have inside. |
| and directions we take with our mind. Since everything | | | | 8. "In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; |
| we created around us is first created in the mind, it is | | | | people create distinctions out of their own minds and |
| the tool or the interface between our self and the | | | | then believe them to be true." |
| material world. | | | | Any perspective we have on anything is only a |
| Another quote of Buddha with a similar message here | | | | relative truth. There are always both (or more) sides |
| is "He is able who thinks he is able". This also shows | | | | of any story. An objective perspective or an absolute |
| the creative power of the mind and if we are able to | | | | truth is very hard or maybe impossible to see. But to |
| consciously use it in that way - avoiding negative | | | | be aware of this and to be interested to see another |
| thoughts and utilizing empowering thoughts - we use it | | | | perspective from another person can be very |
| in a supportive manner. | | | | mind-opening and valuable. |
| 2. "All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is | | | | The matter of perspective (also described in the 7 |
| transformed can wrong-doing remain?" | | | | habits of highly effective people ) is a very powerful |
| This is the core of personal development. It points | | | | one and it is the core of most (if not all?) conflicts |
| towards the need to train and develop the mind and to | | | | between people. One things one is right as long one |
| free it from limits and negativity. | | | | stays in one's own single perspective - needless to |
| The other quote "The mind is the source of happiness | | | | say, the other person has the same reality. |
| and unhappiness." makes the same point with the | | | | There is a similar quote by The Buddha that fits in |
| special notion of happiness. The mind used correctly - | | | | here: "In seperateness lies the world's great misery, in |
| i.e. constructive, empowering, solution- and | | | | compassion lies the world's true strength" which |
| action-oriented, positive, truth-seeking - can create | | | | shows that if we become able to dissolve the |
| happiness. But used poorly - i.e. blaming, egocentric, | | | | separate perspective to a perspective of oneness |
| negative, blinded by ambition or separation - it will | | | | with all other, we hold the key to end conflicts and to |
| create unhappiness for us. Training the mind is the key | | | | find solution and agreements suitable for everybody. |
| here. | | | | 9. "If we could see the miracle of a single flower |
| The quote may also point to a transformation by | | | | clearly, our whole life would change." |
| awakening directly, where the mind becomes the | | | | This quote is perhaps the most difficult one to really |
| servant of the self and not the creator of a self-image | | | | understand. In the first place, it is not about the beautiful |
| (the concept of the ego) as a replacement for the true | | | | nature of the flower or beauty itself. What Buddha is |
| self. | | | | talking about - in my humble opinion - is to see and get |
| 3. "Thousands of candles can be lit from a single | | | | in touch with the life in a flower directly, without any |
| candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. | | | | interference by our mind by mental concepts and |
| Happiness never decreases by being shared." | | | | thoughts of the flower. |
| This points to the abundant nature of reality. The | | | | Eckhart Tolle in "A New Earth" talks about the |
| abundance mentality says there is enough for | | | | flowering of human consciousness, maybe you want |
| everyone, we only have to realize and live by it. It is | | | | to take a look ... |
| the opposite of a scarcity mentality, where you have | | | | 10. "The only real failure in life is not to be true to the |
| the belief that you always have to fight for your part in | | | | best one knows." |
| a limited world. | | | | If we are not authentic and truthful to ourselves, we |
| 4. "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, | | | | build a wall around us that eventually we have to tear |
| concentrate the mind on the present moment." | | | | down again. It is then literally a resistance to the reality |
| The essence of living in the present moment, the Now, | | | | and our own nature where we can hide some time, |
| is focusing the mind here and take attention away | | | | but life has a way to show us our own faults in the |
| from thinking about past or future. The present | | | | end. |
| moment is all there ever is to experience life directly. | | | | To be true to the best one knows means to come |
| Past and future are only concepts of our mind and | | | | from our own best knowledge and not buy into |
| therefore are good for learning from the past or | | | | something outside ourselves blindly, always asking: is |
| conceptual planning when it is useful, but after this | | | | this really true to what I know? |
| there is no need for them. Especially not to dwell in | | | | In resonance with this quote also is the final one by |
| them and get stuck there in the mind by constant | | | | The Buddha: |
| thinking loops. | | | | "There are only two mistakes one can make along the |
| I wrote more about this in "What is The Present | | | | road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. |