Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Harm no other beings. They are just your brothers and sisters.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of treating all living beings with kindness and compassion, as they are interconnected.
Gautama Buddha's quote encourages us to recognize the inherent connection we share with all beings. By viewing others as our 'brothers and sisters,' it calls for a compassionate approach to life, promoting harmony and respect in our interactions. This perspective fosters empathy and non-violence, reminding us that harming others ultimately harms ourselves, as we are all part of the same existence.
In practice
In a speech about environmental ethics, one could use this quote to highlight the need for compassion towards all living beings.
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.
Pleasure without God, without the sacred boundaries, will actually leave you emptier than before. And this is biblical truth, this is experiential truth. The loneliest people in the world are amongst the wealthiest and most famous who found no boundaries within which to live. That is a fact I've seen again and again.
Prayer is the vital breath of the Christian; not the thing that makes him alive, but the evidence that he is alive.
Parents realize their wealth should be used for social good rather than children's good.
Never forget your real identity. You are a luminous conscious stardust being forged in the crucible of cosmic fire.
Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.
As long as you find something beautiful, good, and true to believe in and abide by, you have the equivalent of God in your life.
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