365 inspirational quotes of eastern wisdom

365 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES OF EASTERN WISDOM Nathalie Perlman Introduction There is an increase in interest for Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions in the West nowadays Many people read about or practise Buddhism, Taoism, Mindfulness meditation or Yoga to name a few These Eastern philosophies behold deep insights in life, but their thinkers manage to present these insights in such simple and clear wordings that they “make the click” in your mind when you read them This little book contains 365 carefully selected quotes, one for each day of the year Try to read one quote every morning and think about it during your day This way you can immediately put to practice what you’ve learned from it Furthermore, doing so will help you internalize this knowledge so that it slowly will become your natural way of being Although stemming from a variety of different philosophical schools, there is a shared wisdom in Eastern thinking that will shine through all of these quotes If you like a quote or author in particular, a search at your favorite bookstore Most authors have published great works that are up for sale Enjoy! Nathalie Perlman You only lose what you cling to —Gautama Buddha As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it —Lao Tzu Logic ridicules love, and love smiles knowingly at the whole foolishness of logic —Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honored by the humiliation of their fellow beings —Mahatma Gandhi The world is what we make of it We create our happiness and our sorrows If this is the case, why make problems for ourselves? —Lie Yukou Most of the world’s religions serve only to strengthen attachments to false concepts such as self and other, life and death, heaven and earth, and so on Those who become entangled in these false ideas are prevented from perceiving the Integral Oneness —Lao Tzu Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others —Miyamoto Musashi When our mind works freely without any hindrance, and is at liberty to ‘come’ or to ‘go’, we attain Samadhi of Prajna, or liberation Such a state is called the function of ‘thoughtlessness’ But to refrain from thinking of anything, so that all thoughts are suppressed, is to be Dharma-ridden, and this is an erroneous view —Hui Neng Life is a challenge, meet it! Life is a dream, realize it! Life is a game, play it! Life is Love, enjoy it! —Sai Baba It is better to play than nothing —Confucius It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love This is how the whole scheme of things works All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get —Confucius It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them —Confucius Strength should always be complemented by softness If you resist too much, you will break Thus, the strong person knows when to use strength and when to yield, and good fortune and disaster depend on whether you know how and when to yield —Lie Yukou Before enlightenment – chop wood, carry water After enlightenment – chop wood, carry water —Zen saying Virtue is not left to stand alone He who practices it will have neighbors —Confucius A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses —Chinese proverb When there is no more separation between ‘this’ and ‘that,’ it is called the still-point of the Tao At the still point in the center of the circle one can see the infinite in all things —Chuang Tzu A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake —Gautama Buddha Be the chief but never the lord —Lao Tzu Attachment is the food for the mind to continue Non-attached witnessing is the way to stop it without any effort to stop it And when you start enjoying those blissful moments, your capacity to retain them for longer periods arises —Osho Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water Have the patience to wait! Be still and allow the mud to settle —Lao Tzu Believe in yourself, but not be attached in your own point of view —Master Cheng Yen You may possess the power and might of a world ruler, but unless you gain mastery over your own mind, when the time of death arrives you still haven’t attained the power of freedom So gain mastery over your mind! —Padmasambhava There simply is nothing to which we can attach ourselves, no matter how hard we try In time, things will change and the conditions that produced our current desires will be gone Why then cling to them now? —Master Hsing Yun We have negative mental habits that come up over and over again One of the most significant negative habits we should be aware of is that of constantly allowing our mind to run off into the future Perhaps we got this from our parents Carried away by our worries, we’re unable to live fully and happily in the present Deep down, we believe we can’t really be happy just yet—that we still have a few more boxes to be checked off before we can really enjoy life We speculate, dream, strategize, and plan for these "conditions of happiness" we want to have in the future; and we continually chase after that future, even while we sleep We may have fears about the future because we don’t know how it’s going to turn out, and these worries and anxieties keep us from enjoying being here now —Thich Nhat Hanh Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill —Gautama Buddha Sincerity is the way to heaven —Mencius The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue —Confucius Strenghtening the mind is not done by making it move around as is done to strengthen the body, but by bringing the mind to a halt, bringing it to rest —The Lankavatara Sutra It is always the false that makes you suffer, the false desires and fears, the false values and ideas, the false relationships between people Abandon the false and you are free of pain; truth makes happy, truth liberates —Nisargadatta Maharaj Happiness is not something ready made It comes from your own actions —Dalai Lama In theory, practice and theory are the same In practice they are not —Yogi Berra This is my simple religion There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness —Dalai Lama We take refuge in pride because we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves —Kakuzo Okakura Meditation does not imply only the development of single-pointed concentration, sitting in some corner doing nothing Meditation is an alert state of mind, the opposite of sluggishness; meditation is wisdom You should remain aware every moment of your daily life, fully conscious of what you are doing and how you are doing it —Lama Thubten Yeshe Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials —Lin Yutang Letting go a little brings a little peace Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace Letting go completely brings complete peace —Ajahn Chah Health is the greatest possession Contentment is the greatest treasure Confidence is the greatest friend Non-being is the greatest joy —Lao Tzu The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough —Rabindranath Tagore A closed mind is like a closed book; just a block of wood —Chinese proverb When the breath wanders the mind also is unsteady But when the breath is calmed the mind too will be still, and the yogi achieves long life Therefore, one should learn to control the breath —Hatha Yoga Pradipika Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened Happiness never decreases by being shared —Gautama Buddha An ant on the move does more than a dozing ox —Lao Tzu One torch can dissipate the accumulated darkness of a thousand aeons —Tilopa Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated —Confucius As the blazing fire reduces wood to ashes, similarly, the fire of Selfknowledge reduces all Karma to ashes —The Baghavad Gita The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions —Confucius Set your heart on doing good Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy —Gautama Buddha An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind —Mahatma Gandhi When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, close your eyes Fools may laugh at me, but wise men will know what I mean —Linji Yixuan When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over He does not need punishment; he needs help That’s the message he is sending —Thich Nhat Hanh Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear —Krishna in The Baghavad Gita Opportunities multiply as they are seized —Sun Tzu There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it —Gautama Buddha Hatred does not cease in this world by hating, but by not hating; this is an eternal truth —Gautama Buddha In the end these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go? —Gautama Buddha Accept everything just the way it is —Miyamoto Musashi All methods, in the search for truth, should be looked on as a means, rather than as ends in themselves or as absolute truth —Seung Sahn Let your heart be at peace Watch the turmoil of beings but contemplate their return If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow When you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, disinterested, amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king Immersed in the wonder of the Tao, you can deal with whatever life brings you, And when death comes, you are ready —Zhuangzi —Dogen Zenji Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear —Lao Tzu Have a mind that is open to everything, and attached to nothing —Tilopa You are your own teacher Investigate yourself to find the truth – inside, not outside Knowing yourself is most important —Ajahn Chah To be truly ignorant, be content with your own knowledge —Zhuangzi Be wise Treat yourself, your mind, sympathetically, with loving kindness If you are gentle with yourself, you will become gentle with others —Lama Thubten Yeshe If you have insight, you use your inner eye, your inner ear, to pierce to the heart of things, and have no need of intellectual knowledge —Zhuangzi When your appearance conforms with worldly conventions, you will encounter less criticism —Padmasambhava In prosperous conditions, the worthy must be promoted In un-prosperous conditions, the worthy must be promoted —Mo Tzu When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you —Lao Tzu At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want —Lao Tzu The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence —Rabindranath Tagore To be angry is to let others’ mistakes punish yourself To forgive others is to be good to yourself —Master Cheng Yen In modern society most of us don’t want to be in touch with ourselves; we want to be in touch with other things like religion, sports, politics, a book – we want to forget ourselves Anytime we have leisure, we want to invite something else to enter us, opening ourselves to the television and telling the television to come and colonize us —Thich Nhat Hanh There is pleasure when a sore is scratched, But to be without sores is more pleasurable still Just so, there are pleasures in worldly desires, but to be without desires is more pleasurable still —Nagarjuna Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom —Rabindranath Tagore A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return —The Baghavad Gita Renunciation is not giving up the things of this world, but accepting that they go away —Shunryu Suzuki If you could only keep quiet, clear of memories and expectations, you would be able to discern the beautiful pattern of events Its your restlessness that causes chaos —Nisargadatta Maharaj Just know yourself, this is your witness Don’t make decisions on the strength of your desires —Ajahn Chah There is but one way to be born but a hundred ways to die —Chinese proverb The Truth is realized in an instant; the Act is practiced step by step —Seung Sahn Respect yourself and others will respect you —Confucius Remote fountains are of little help to nearby fires —Han Fei What you are is what you have been, and what you will be is what you now —Gautama Buddha With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow – I have still joy in the midst of these things Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud —Confucius Do not apply reasoning to what is unthinkable The mark of the unthinkable is that it is above all material causes —The Purana’s Life begins where fear ends —Osho The flower which is single need not envy the thorns that are numerous —Rabindranath Tagore Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without —Confucius Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness Thus goodness is attained Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest Thus honesty is attained —Lao Tzu The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting —Sun Tzu I am all in favor of the skeptical mind Do not believe anything unless you have experienced it Do not believe anything – go on questioning, however long it takes —Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh I say unto you that suffering is not holding you, you are holding suffering —Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Music in the soul can be heard by the universe —Lao Tzu The power of intuitive understanding will protect you from harm until the end of your days —Lao Tzu Intention is the core of all conscious life It is our intentions that create karma, our intentions that help others, our intentions that lead us away from the delusions of individuality toward the immutable verities of enlightened awareness Conscious intention colors and moves everything —Master Hsing Yun We humans eat fish and birds, mosquitoes suck our blood, and tigers eat our flesh If we were to say that birds and fish were created for us to eat, then we would have to admit that we humans were created for the mosquitoes and tigers to feast upon —Lie Yukou At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it —Thich Nhat Hanh Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it —Gautama Buddha Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness —Zhuangzi Never let yourself be saddened by a separation —Miyamoto Musashi Every morning we are born again What we today is what matters most —Gautama Buddha Silence is a source of great strength —Lao Tzu A sick body with a good heart is more beneficial to future lives than a fit, healthy body that is used for self-cherishing —Lama Zopa Rinpoche Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star —Confucius Do not impose on others what you yourself not desire —Confucius Invincibility lies in the defence; the possibility of victory in the attack —Sun Tzu When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce You look for reasons it is not doing well It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun You never blame the lettuce Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument That is my experience No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change —Thich Nhat Hanh He who knows, does not speak He who speaks, does not know —Lao Tzu Many people think excitement is happiness But when you are excited you are not peaceful True happiness is based on peace —Thich Nhat Hanh Life is life – whether in a cat, or dog or man There is no difference there between a cat or a man The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own advantage —Sri Aurobindo All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved —Sun Tzu Respond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment —Lao Tzu Let no one think lightly of evil, saying in his heart: "It will not come to me." As water drop by drop fills a jar, the foolish person soon becomes full of evil, even as he gathers it little by little Let no one think lightly of good work, saying in his heart: "It will not come to me." As water drop by drop fills a jar, the wise person soon becomes full of goodness, even as he gathers it little by little —Gautama Buddha One moon shows in every pool; in every pool, the one moon —Zen saying The present moment is filled with joy and happiness If you are attentive, you will see it —Thich Nhat Hanh We all want to be famous people, and the moment we want to be something we are no longer free —Jiddu Krishnamurti Time is stronger than all things else —Indian proverb In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it —Lao Tzu When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength —Dalai Lama With our thoughts we make the world —Gautama Buddha Our normal tendency is to feel dissatisfied and to criticize our body, speech, and mind – My body is out of shape; my voice is unpleasant; my mind is confused – We are so caught up in this pointless, neurotic habit of criticism that we disparage others as well as ourselves This is extremely damaging —Lama Thubten Yeshe Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free: Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing This is the ultimate —Zhuangzi For awareness you need not go to the Himalayas; you need not go anywhere Your life gives you enough opportunities to be aware Somebody insults you listen to it in full awareness And you will be surprised the insult is no more an insult You may even smile It does not hurt; it hurts only when received in unawareness Somebody praises and appreciates you listen with alertness And then nobody can persuade you to foolish things Nobody can bribe you; flattery becomes impossible You will smile at the whole nonsense —Osho Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, loses all fear —The Upanishads Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them —Rabindranath Tagore Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful Good words are not persuasive; persuasive words are not good —Lao Tzu Your first task is to see the sorrow in you and around you; your next, to long intensely for liberation The very intensity of longing will guide you; you need no other guide —Nisargadatta Maharaj As we cultivate peace and happiness in ourselves, we also nourish peace and happiness in those we love —Thich Nhat Hanh Anxiety, the illness of our time, comes primarily from our inability to dwell in the present moment —Thich Nhat Hanh The fool gets angry The wise person understands —Indian proverb 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 —Gautama Buddha A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we not love it —Dogen Zenji I defeat my enemies when I make them my friends —Dalai Lama Always perform your duty efficiently and without attachment to the results, because by doing work without attachment one attains the Supreme —The Baghavad Gita Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses —Confucius We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression —Confucius The mind is very powerful Therefore, it requires firm guidance A powerful jet plane needs a good pilot; the pilot of your mind should be the wisdom that understands its nature —Lama Thubten Yeshe Be aware of the ephemeral nature of material things Lose your attachment to them —Shui-ch’ing Tzu It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection —The Baghavad Gita Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom —Gautama Buddha Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need —Miyamoto Musashi People say "I want peace" If you remove "I" and "want", you are left with peace —Sai Baba When something grows, something else will decay When something disappears, something else emerges This is the balance of things If there is only growth and no decay, the world will be overpopulated, be it with people, animals, or vegetation If there is only decay and no growth, life will disappear For the world to continue there must be a balance of growth and decay —Lie Yukou There are many ways to calm a negative energy without suppressing or fighting it You recognize it, you smile to it, and you invite something nicer to come up and replace it; you read some inspiring words, you listen to a piece of beautiful music, you go somewhere in nature, or you some walking meditation —Thich Nhat Hanh Although it is difficult to pinpoint the physical base or location of awareness, it is perhaps the most precious thing concealed within our brains And it is something that the individual alone can feel and experience Each of us cherishes it highly, yet it is private —Dalai Lama If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly our whole life would change —Gautama Buddha The moment a child is born, the mother is also born She never existed before The woman existed, but the mother, never A mother is something absolutely new —Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh Mindfulness helps you go home to the present And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes —Thich Nhat Hanh By plucking her petals, you not gather the beauty of the flower —Rabindranath Tagore To see the right and not to it is cowardice —Confucius The description is not the described; I can describe the mountain, but the description is not the mountain, and if you are caught up in the description, as most people are, then you will never see the mountain —Jiddu Krishnamurti If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can something about it, then there is no need to worry If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever —Dalai Lama The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be —Lao Tzu This is the way it is —Ajahn Chah Things that are done, it is needless to speak about things that are past, it is needless to blame —Confucius If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem —Jiddu Krishnamurti Remember, you don’t meditate to ‘get’ anything but to get ‘rid’ of things We it, not with desire, but with letting go If you ‘want’ anything, you won’t find it —Ajahn Chah Men’s natures are alike, it is their habits that carry them far apart —Confucius There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path —Gautama Buddha Watch your thoughts; they become words Watch your words; they become actions Watch your actions; they become habits Watch your habits; they become character Watch your character; for it becomes your destiny —Upanishads A work prospers through endeavors, not through vows —Hitopadesa Wisdom is not competence in one skill or many skills It is the ability to recognize strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and others Thus, a wise teacher knows that although he may not surpass certain students in specific skills, he can give them what they need to become better individuals —Lie Yukou Large skepticism leads to large understanding Small skepticism leads to small understanding No skepticism leads to no understanding —Xi Zhi One who is too insistent on his own views, finds few to agree with him —Lao Tzu It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles Then the victory is yours It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell —Gautama Buddha Align yourself and others will line up —Yang Xiong Our mind is like a clear glass of water If you put salt into the water, it becomes salt water; sugar, it becomes sugar water; shit it becomes shit water But originally the water is clear No thinking, no mind No mind, no problem —Seung Sahn Whatever action you intend to perform by body, speech or mind, first think: “Will this action be harmful to myself or to others or to both? Will this action produce suffering?” If it is harmful, avoid doing it —Gautama Buddha He who talks more is sooner exhausted —Lao Tzu Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves —Confucius Being pure consciousness – not disturb your mind with thoughts of for and against Be at peace and remain happily in yourself, the essence of joy —Astavakra Gita Awareness is that state of mind which takes in everything-the crows flying across the sky, the flowers on the trees, the people sitting in front, the colors they are wearing – being extensively aware, which needs watching, observing, taking in the shape of the leaf, the shape of the trunk, the shape of the head of another, what he is doing —Jiddu Krishnamurti Do everything with a mind that lets go Do not expect praise or reward —Ajahn Chah It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err —Mahatma Gandhi Mastering others is strength Mastering yourself is true power —Lao Tzu During our dreams we not know we are dreaming We may even dream of interpreting a dream Only on waking we know it was a dream Only after the great awakening will we realize that this is the great dream —Zhuangzi Wherever you go, go with all your heart —Confucius To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short —Confucius .. .365 INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES OF EASTERN WISDOM Nathalie Perlman Introduction There is an increase in interest for Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions... your natural way of being Although stemming from a variety of different philosophical schools, there is a shared wisdom in Eastern thinking that will shine through all of these quotes If you like... dare to be ahead of the world Because of deep love, one is courageous.Because of frugality, one is generous.Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world —Lao