Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Mind precedes all phenomena, mind matters most, everything is mind-made. If with an impure mind, you speak or act, then suffering follows you as the cartwheel follows the foot of the draft animal. If with a pure mind, you speak or act, then happiness follows you as a shadow that never departs
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our thoughts shape our reality, and the purity of our mind determines our happiness or suffering.
This quote by Gautama Buddha emphasizes the power of the mind in influencing our experiences. It suggests that the state of our mind can lead to either positive or negative outcomes; a pure mind leads to happiness, while an impure mind leads to suffering. The imagery of a shadow illustrates how closely happiness follows when one acts from a place of purity and clarity.
Themes
MindHappinessSufferingPureImpure
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about personal growth and mindfulness.
More from Gautama Buddha
All quotes →A kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit.
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There are having flowers in Spring, breezes in Summer, moon in Autumn, snows in Winter. If there is nothing worrying over you, it will be the best seasons at all times.
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Make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. Make truth your island, make truth your refuge; there is no other refuge.
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When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
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The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
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