Buddhist Spirituality & Mysticism Quotations
from the Dhammapada & Lotus Gospel
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha who was born circa 563 B.C.E. and lived into his eighties, having taught for more than forty years based on his Enlightenment experiences.
There is no "God" in Buddhism!!!
Huston Smith is widely known for his classic primer to comparative religion "The Religions of Man", first published in 1958 and apparently now titled "The World's Religions."
In this bestselling work Huston Smith begins his chapter on Buddhism with this observation:
Buddhism begins with a man...
And shortly thereafter continues:
...In his later years, when India had become electric with his message and kings themselves were bowing
before him, people came to him even as they were to come to Jesus asking what he was.
How many people have provoked this question: not "Who are you?" with respect to name, origin, or ancestry, but "What are you? - what order of being do you belong to, what species do you represent?" Not Caesar, certainly. Not Napoleon, not even Socrates. Only two, Jesus and Buddha. When the people carried their puzzlement to the Buddha himself, the answer he gave provided a handle for his entire message.
"Are you a god?" they asked.
Buddha replied, ~ "No."
"An Angel?"
~ "No."
"A saint?"
~ "No."
"Then what are you?"
Buddha answered, ~ "I am awake."
His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. In the Sanskrit root budh denotes both to wake up and to know. Buddha, then, means the "Enlightened One" or the "Awakened One."
Buddha did not leave behind him a fully recognised
canon of religious writings. Moreover Buddha, prior to his
demise, refused to comply with requests that he nominate a
successor preferring to recommend that individual people should
look to their own spirituality.How many people have provoked this question: not "Who are you?" with respect to name, origin, or ancestry, but "What are you? - what order of being do you belong to, what species do you represent?" Not Caesar, certainly. Not Napoleon, not even Socrates. Only two, Jesus and Buddha. When the people carried their puzzlement to the Buddha himself, the answer he gave provided a handle for his entire message.
"Are you a god?" they asked.
Buddha replied, ~ "No."
"An Angel?"
~ "No."
"A saint?"
~ "No."
"Then what are you?"
Buddha answered, ~ "I am awake."
His answer became his title, for this is what Buddha means. In the Sanskrit root budh denotes both to wake up and to know. Buddha, then, means the "Enlightened One" or the "Awakened One."
After Buddha's death the faith-system he founded - Buddhism - fragmented, in the shorter time-frame, into some eighteen schools or approaches to faith and in the longer time-frame the foundations were laid for the eventual emergence of two major traditions within Buddhism - the Theravadan and the Mahayanan.
This Buddhist Spirituality page is one of a series of seven pages on our site that consider the extensive! range of deep! agreement about important aspects of spirituality and spiritual mysticism between such major World Religions as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism and Vedanta-Hinduism.
Sets of quotations and quotes that seem to recognise a pronounced emphasis on such aspects of Spirituality and Mysticism as a Disdain for Materialism, a Distrust of the Intellect, a Preference for Divine Inspiration, Charity, Purity of Heart, Humility and Meekness from each of these major World Religions ( Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh, Taoist and Vedic or Hindu ) can be accessed through our series of "Central" Spiritual Insights pages.
Please be prepared for some "soul-force" that might be held to reside within many of these quotations!!!
Disdain for Material Things
He who lives looking for pleasures only, his senses uncontrolled, immoderate in his food, idle, and weak, Mara (the Tempter) will certainly overthrow him, as the wind throws down a weak tree. He who lives without looking for pleasures, his senses well controlled, moderate in his food, faithful and strong, him Mara will certainly not overthrow, any more than the wind throws down a strong mountain.Dhammapada V. 7-8
Distrust of Intellect
They pass from generation to generation ,Poor in virtue and of little happiness,
Oppressed by all the sorrows
And dwelling in the thickets of debate,
Such as, Existence? or Non-existence?
Relying on their propositions,
sixty-two in number,
They become rooted in false philosophy,
Tenacious and unyielding,
Self-sufficient and self-inflated,
Suspicious, warped, without faith.
During thousands and milliards of kalpas
Such hear not the name of Buddha,
Nor ever learn of the truth
from The Lotus Gospel
Spiritual Insights are possible!
Wise people, after they have listened to the laws, become serene, like a deep, smooth still lake.Dhammapada V. 82
Charity
The disciples of Gotama are always well awake, and their mind day and night always delights in compassion.Dhammapada V. 300
Purity of Heart
All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage. All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.Dhammapada V. 1-2
Humility
He who controls his hand, he who controls his feet, he who is well controlled, he who delights inwardly, who is collected, who is solitary and content, him they call a bhikshu. The bhikshu who controls his mouth, who speaks wisely and calmly, who teaches the meaning and the law, his word is sweet. He who dwells in the law, delights in the law, meditates on the law, follows the law, that bhikshu will never fall away from the true law. Let him not despise what he has received, nor ever envy others: a mendicant who envies others does not obtain peace of mind. A bhikshu who, though he receives little, does not despise what he has received, even the gods will praise him, if his life is pure, and if he is not slothful.Dhammapada V. 362-366
Meekness
Let a man overcome anger by love, let him overcome evil by good; let him overcome the greedy by liberality, the liar by truth! Speak the truth, do not yield to anger; give, if thou art asked for little; by these three steps thou wilt go near the gods.Dhammapada V. 223-224
Communion with God
There is no "God" in Buddhism!!!That being said - those who make spiritual progress through following the teachings of Buddha are often held to attain to states of trancendent calm and of Enlightenment.
The bhikshu, full of delight, who is calm in the doctrine of Buddha will reach the quiet place (Nirvana), cessation of natural desires, and happiness.
Dhammapada V. 381
Buddhism also joins with Christianity, Islam, Vedanta-Hinduism and Sikhism in suggesting that human behaviors have several identifiable tendencies ~
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana who does not cling to pleasures, like water on a lotus leaf, like a mustard seed on the point of a needle.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana who, even here, knows the end of his suffering, has put down his burden, and is unshackled.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana whose knowledge is deep, who possesses wisdom, who knows the right way and the wrong, and has attained the highest end.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana who keeps aloof both from laymen and from mendicants, who frequents no houses, and has but few desires.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana who finds no fault with other beings, whether feeble or strong, and does not kill nor cause slaughter.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana who is tolerant with the intolerant, mild with fault-finders, and free from passion among the passionate.
Him I call indeed a Brâhmana from whom anger and hatred, pride and envy have dropt like a mustard seed from the point of a needle.
Dhammapada V. 401-407
The following linked pages are intended to fully demonstrate a degree of Common Ground between the Inner-most Spiritual Teachings of several major World Religions on Charity, Purity of Heart, Humility, Meekness, A Disdain for Materialism (compared to the Spiritual), A Distrust of the Intellect (compared to Divine Inspiration) and A Yearning for Divine Edification (or A Thirst for Spiritual Enlightenment).
These quotations are presented on a series of very brief pages where each faith is considered individually.
We have seen it as worthwhile to add
another category of quotation ~ where recognition has been given to the possibility of Mystical Communion with God ~ as this
addition may rather directly tend the range of agreement about "Core Spiritual Truths" already demonstrated
towards actually becoming something of a proof of the Existence of the one God or Spirit which is the focus of Mystical
Faith.