When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
BuddhaRead
Better than worshiping gods is obedience to the laws of righteousness.
Interpretation
Obeying moral laws is more virtuous than simply worshiping deities.
This quote suggests that true spirituality and value lie not in the mere act of worshiping gods, but in adhering to ethical principles and laws of righteousness. It emphasizes the importance of moral conduct and integrity in human life, positing that genuine respect for the divine is expressed through honorable actions rather than rituals alone.
In practice
In a discussion about ethical behavior during a community meeting.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
I was born into the world as the king of truth for the salvation of the world.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
When the white man came to Africa, the white man had the Bible and the African had the land, but now it is the white man who is being, reluctantly and bloodily, separated from the land, and the African who is still attempting to digest or to vomit up the Bible.
Let no act be done without purpose.
Dealing with complexity is an inefficient and unnecessary waste of time, attention and mental energy. There is never any justification for things being complex when they could be simple.
In every age its (liberty's) progress has been beset by its natural enemies, by ignorance and superstition, by lust of conquest and by love of ease, by the strong man's craving for power, and the poor man's craving for food
Very well, then, where do we arrive? Where do we arrive with our respect, our homage, our filial affection? At Adam! At Adam, every time. We can't build a monument to a germ, but we can build one to Adam, who is in the way to turn myth in in fifty years and be entirely forgotten in two hundred. We can build a monument and save his name to the world forever, and we'll do it!
To be with God is really to be involved in some enormous, overwhelming desire, and joy, and power which you cannot control, which controls you.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.