Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If people speak or act with evil thoughts, pain follows them. If people speak or act with pure thoughts, happiness follows them, like a shadow that never leaves them.
Interpretation
Our thoughts shape our reality; positive thoughts lead to happiness while negative thoughts lead to pain.
This quote by Gautama Buddha emphasizes the profound impact of our thoughts on our lives. It suggests that our mental state directly influences our actions and experiences, indicating that negative thoughts can lead to suffering, whereas pure and positive thoughts can result in lasting happiness. Essentially, it underscores the importance of cultivating a positive mindset, as our thoughts are the foundation of our reality and experience.
In practice
During a motivational seminar about the power of positive thinking.
Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
I'm often reassured in a bizarre - perhaps perverse - way when I find in the archive stuff that contradicts what my assumptions have been. That's interesting and exciting.
A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man.
Most people think of peace as a state of Nothing Bad Happening, or Nothing Much Happening. Yet if peace is to overtake us and make us the gift of serenity and well-being, it will have to be the state of Something Good Happening.
Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.
An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person.
The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.