Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There's only one moment for you to live, and that is the present moment
Interpretation
Focus on the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
This quote emphasizes the importance of living in the present, suggesting that the past is unchangeable and the future is uncertain. By anchoring ourselves in the present, we can fully experience life and appreciate each moment without being burdened by regret or anxiety.
In practice
In a mindfulness workshop, I shared this quote to emphasize the importance of being present in our daily lives.
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.
Why don't they cut their own children's ears into points to make them look sharp? Why don't they cut off their noses to make them look plucky? One would be just as sensible as the other. What right have they to torment and disfigure God's creatures?
Vile worm, thou wast o'erlook'd even in thy birth.
Nothing exists; even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and even if something can be known about it, knowledge about it can't be communicated to others.
We've been deceived by the thought that we would be more pleasing to God in our own way than in the way God has given us.
We grow tyrannical fighting tyranny. . . . The most alarming spectacle today is not the spectacle of the atomic bomb in an unfederated world, it is the spectacle of the Americans beginning to accept the device of loyalty oaths and witch hunts, beginning to call anybody they don't like a Communist.
You cannot sift out the poor from the community. The poor are indispensable to the rich.
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