Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
By your own folly you will be brought as low as your worst enemy wishes.
Interpretation
Your own mistakes can lead to your downfall, often worse than any adversary's intentions.
This quote by Gautama Buddha emphasizes the idea that an individual's own foolishness and poor decisions can bring them down more severely than the actions of their enemies. It serves as a reminder that self-awareness and responsibility for one's actions are crucial in avoiding self-inflicted harm.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal responsibility.
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.
Be honest about how you approach failure. Don't just be critical of yourself, because that can be self-serving. Approach it honestly, assess your performance, and assess the areas where you have fallen short. Correct them and move on. Don't dwell on it. Don't hold on to it.
Every failure, every adversity, every heartache may be a blessing in disguise providing it softens the animal portion of our nature.
Like the lotus which thrives in mud, the potential for realization grows in the rich soil of everyday life
Care-charmer Sleep, son of the sable Night, Brother to Death, in silent darkness born; Relive my languish, and restore the light.
I have an ambition to write a great book, but that's really a competition with myself. I've noticed that a lot of young writers, people in all media, want to be famous but they don't really want to do anything. I can't think of anything less worth striving for than fame.
Information work is thinking work.
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