Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the perception of time and life, suggesting that awareness and understanding shape our experiences.
Gautama Buddha's quote reflects on how the perception of time can be influenced by one's state of mind and understanding of life. For someone who is awake, the night seems long; for the weary, distance feels prolonged. Similarly, the foolish, who lack awareness of deeper truths, find life to be long and burdensome. This highlights the importance of mindfulness and wisdom in navigating life's challenges.
In practice
In a motivational talk about mindfulness and awareness.
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.
I cannot become modest; too many things burn in me; the old solutions are falling apart; nothing has been done yet with the new ones. So I begin, everywhere at once, as if I had a century ahead of me.
It is always a mistake to be plain-spoken.
No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.
I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness.
The close and thoughtful observer more and more learns to recognize his limitations. He realizes that with the steady growth of knowledge more and more new problems keep on emerging.
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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