Great Throughts Treasury

"Care about your children. Just bless them instead of worrying, as every child is the little Buddha who helps his parents to grow up."

"Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence."

"Come, live with the doors of the senses guarded, watchfully mindful, carefully mindful with the ways of the mind well watched, possessed of a mind that is awake and observing."

"Conquer anger by love, evil by good; conquer the miser with liberality, and the liar with truth."

"Conquer the angry man by love. Conquer the ill-natured man by goodness. Conquer the miser with generosity. Conquer the liar with truth."

"Conquerors are those like me who have reached fermentations' end. I've conquered evil qualities, and so, Upaka, I'm a conqueror."

"Contentment is the greatest wealth."

"Corporeality is transient, feeling is transient, perception is transient, mental formations are transient, consciousness is transient."

"Craving and desire are the cause of all unhappiness. Everything sooner or later must change, so do not become attached to anything. Instead devote yourself to purifying your mind and finding true, last happiness."

"Cross over to the father shore, beyond life and death. Do your thoughts trouble you? Does passion disturb you? Beware of this thirstiness lest your wishes become desires and desire binds you. Quieten your mind."

"Crushing out of the conceit "I am" - this is the highest happiness."

"Cultivate loving-kindness."

"Cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of selfishness and jealousy, greed and anger, pride and ego. Then all will benefit from your peace and harmony."

"Cultivate the good, one can cultivate good. If it were impossible to cultivate the good, I would not ask you to do so. But as it can be done, therefore I say, "Cultivate the good". If this cultivation of good would bring harm and suffering, I would not ask you to cultivate it. But as the cultivation of good brings well-being and happiness, therefore I say, "Cultivate the good."

"Cut down the forest, not just a tree. Out of the forest of desire springs danger. By cutting down both the forest of desire and the brushwood of longing, be rid of the forest."

"Cut out the love of self, like an autumn lotus with thy hand!"

"Delight in meditation and solitude. Compose yourself, be happy. You are a seeker."

"Delusions, errors and lies are like huge, gaudy vessels, the rafters of which are rotten and wormeaten, and those who embark in them are fated to be shipwrecked."

"Deny the passport, throw it away and make a great decision that you will not leave this shore until and unless you have liberated all the human beings."

"Desire never crosses the path of virtuous and wakeful men."

"Dignity and quiet joy in all that we do are the expression of perfect concentration and perfect wisdom."

"Dispassion is the best of mental states."

"Do not accept what you hear by report, do not accept tradition, do not accept a statement because it is found in our books, nor because it is in accord with your belief, nor because it is the saying of your teacher. Be lamps unto yourselves. Those who, either now or after I am dead, shall rely upon themselves only and not look for assistance to anyone besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the topmost height."

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

"Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings – that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide."

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

"Do not give up your authority and follow blindly the will of others. This way will lead to only delusion."

"Do not go by revelation; do not go by tradition; do not go by hearsay; do not go on the authority of sacred texts; do not go on the grounds of pure logic; do not go by a view that seems rational; do not go by reflecting on mere appearances."

"Do not have evil-doers for friends, do not have low people for friends : have virtuous people for friends, have for friends the best of men."

"Do not let pleasure distract you from meditation, from the way. Free yourself from pleasure and pain."

"Do not live in the world, in distraction and false dreams. Outside the dharma."

"Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself."

"Do not look for bad company or live with men who do not care. Find friends who love the truth. Drink deeply. Live in serenity and joy."

"Do not neglect your own needs for someone else's... And recognize your needs so you will know what to do."

"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind."

"Do not rely upon what has been acquired by repeated tradition; nor upon lineage; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is handed down in the teachings; nor upon logic; nor upon inference; nor upon a consideration of reasons; nor upon a delight in speculation; nor upon appearances; nor upon respect for your teacher. Kalmas, when you know for yourselves: These things are unskillful; these things are blameable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and suffering, then abandon them."

"Do not speak harshly to any one; those who are spoken to will answer thee in the same way. Angry speech is painful: blows for blows will touch thee."

"Do not think of how big the universe is, it will merely hurt your head."

"Do not what is evil. Do what is good. Keep your mind pure. This is the teaching."

"Do what you have to do resolutely, with all your heart. The traveler who hesitates only raises dust on the road."

"Does the spoon taste the soup? A fool may live all his life in the company of a master and still miss the way."

"Doing the good deeds is like the grass in the garden. You don't see its growth. But, it does by days. Doing the wicked deeds is like the hone. You don't see its damage. But, it does by days."

"Don’t believe something merely because I tell you it’s true – find out for yourself if it’s true."

"Don't be led astray by the temporary glitter of the evil-doer. Sooner or later, his deeds will catch up with him. Then you will see him mourning and suffering the evil results of his acts."

"Don't blindly believe what I say. Don't believe me because others convince you of my words. Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts. Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances."

"Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering' — then you should abandon them..."

"Don't keep searching for the truth, just let go of your opinions."

"Don't pray for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs."

"Doubt everything. Find your own light."

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most."