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Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama Buddha
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Life is transient, and while we may be absorbed in our pursuits, we must remember that death is inevitable.

This quote by Gautama Buddha highlights the fragility of life and the unexpected nature of death. It serves as a reminder that being preoccupied with earthly concerns, like picking flowers, can lead us to overlook the reality that death can come at any moment, much like a great flood surging into a tranquil village, disrupting the peace and normalcy of life.

Themes

DeathLifeTransienceMindfulnessAwareness

In practice

Example use cases

During a memorial service, to encourage reflection on life's fleeting nature.

More from Gautama Buddha

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