Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Looking deeply at life as it is in this very moment, the meditator dwells in stability and freedom.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of mindfulness and being present in the moment, leading to inner stability and freedom.
In this quote, Gautama Buddha highlights the practice of meditation and mindfulness as essential tools for cultivating a profound awareness of the present moment. By focusing deeply on life as it unfolds, an individual can achieve a state of stability and freedom from the distractions and anxieties that typically dominate the mind, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and liberated existence.
In practice
During a meditation workshop, one might share this quote to emphasize the benefits of being present.
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.
If he be really and seriously seeking to live a good life, the first thing from which he will abstain will always be the use of animal food, because ...its use is simply immoral, as it involves the performance of an act which is contrary to the moral feeling - killing.
Gentlemen, welcome to the world of reality β there is no audience. No one to applaud, to admire. No one to see you. Do you understand? Here is the truth β actual heroism receives no ovation, entertains no one. No one queues up to see it. No one is interested.
In all of our society, but especially in Hollywood, there is an obsession with perfection that can lead to self-loathing and neurosis and all that kind of stuff.
If a coin comes down heads, that means that the possibility of its coming down tails has collapsed. Until that moment the two possibilities were equal. But on another world, it does come down tails. And when that happens, the two worlds split apart.
Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.
Humans aren't as good as we should be in our capacity to empathize with feelings and thoughts of others, be they humans or other animals on Earth.
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