Many people consider Buddhism to be a religion like others, but Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, didn’t set out to create a religion. He didn’t gather “followers” in the true, cultist sense of the word.
Instead, after he attained enlightenment, the Buddha spread a message.
The message of kindness.
Be kind to people, and be kind to animals. Don’t steal from people, and don’t be rude to them either. Don’t cloud your mind, and don’t kill anybody.
When you look at it, Buddhism isn’t a strict set of rules. It doesn’t tell you to perform rituals or pray to a God several times a day. Not at all. Instead, the Buddha’s teachings can be summed up into a neat phrase:
Just try your best to be the best version of yourself.
The Three Teachings of Buddhism: Diving Deep Into the Lore
There are too many Buddhist teachings to cover in one go, so we’re going to talk about three crucial elements that make up a large part of the Buddhist religion: The Three Noble Truths.
Dukha: The belief that life is painful and causes suffering
The first of the Noble Truths is “Dukha,” which literally translates to “life is suffering.” It sounds rather negative at first, but in reality, this Noble Truth is far more than just a pessimistic comment.
Our lives are punctuated with frustration, sadness, and tragedy. We often make it worse by being attached to particular things in the material world.
Instead, illness, heartbreak, and even loss can be mitigated by practicing “non-attachment” or simply letting go.
● Anatma: The belief that the self is always changing
Sometimes when we feel lost, we retreat back to a sense of “self,” of using different things in our lives to build up a sort of permanent identity for ourselves.
On the other hand, Buddhism believes that there is no permanent self.
A person, just like the world around them, is constantly changing. That includes everything from our beliefs and thoughts and memories to our cells.
That’s why we ourselves can change. Anytime and anyplace. No matter our struggles, we can accept them and live with them.
● Anitya: The belief that life is in constant flux
Buddhism comes with the belief that you two seconds from now isn’t the same you from two seconds ago. It believes that life is in constant flux and that change is constant and never stops.
That sounds chaotic at first but think about this. If nothing is permanent, neither is pain. Sadness, pain, tragedy, happiness, joy, and celebration are all temporary.
Believe it or not, liberation lies in believing that everything is fleeting. The pain you feel is temporary, and it will pass. Even if it’s painful, embrace it, accept it, and move past it.
All you have is the present moment.
Top 10 Buddha Quotes You Should Know About Today
With the depths of Buddha’s teachings, it’s no surprise that Buddhism has millions of followers around the globe. However, the Three Noble Truths aren’t the only treasures Gautama Buddha left behind.
There’s also a treasure trove of quotes and sayings from Buddha himself. Most of them are translated from his native Sanskrit but still hold meaning today, more than 2000 years into the future.
Here are the Top 10 Famous Buddha Quotes That You Should Know About:
- “Radiate boundless love towards the entire world.”
The first one we pointed out, this quote reflects the love Buddha had for the world and the creatures in it. In his preachings to his followers, Buddha tells them to love the world as a whole and have no end to that love.
2: “Give, even if you only have a little.”
Like most sages of India, Gautama Buddha lived an ascetic life, surviving on what people would give him.
Even so, he always told people to help others wherever possible and would himself give his own food, clothes, and other implements to those poorer than him.
3: “Those who cling to perceptions & views wander the world offending people.”
This particular saying is all the more relevant in today’s world, where you have to be careful not to offend people.
It tells people to not cling to old worldviews and perceptions and instead be fluid enough to change their views based on new information.
4: “Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions & commissions of others. But let one see one’s own acts, done and undone.”
Buddha advises people not to focus on the acts of others but instead to inspect themselves so they can find their own faults and work on them.
5: “Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.”
If you’ve ever donated to charity or bought a homeless man some food, you’ll already know it feels good to do good.
Here, Buddha advises his followers to do good in the world and take the happiness they get from doing good to be its own reward.
6: “Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would guide to hidden treasure.”
Often, most of us will ignore the value of constructive criticism, instead hiding behind our pride and being too proud to work on our faults.
In Buddha’s eyes, a wise critic should be the same as a hidden treasure and should be followed so one can attain the very best version of themselves.
7: “Live with no sense of ‘mine,’ not forming attachment to experiences.”
According to the Buddha, forming attachments to objects and people is how people increase their suffering, heartbreak, and loss in this world. He says not to get too attached to a single experience but instead to be fluid and live in the present moment.
8: “Ardently do today what must be done. Who knows? Tomorrow, death comes.”
Have you ever heard the saying “don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today”?
The Buddha himself was one of the first people to coin a saying with essentially the same meaning. He tells people they should fearlessly do what they have to do today because anything could happen tomorrow. They could even die!
9: “If with a pure mind a person speaks or acts, happiness follows them like a never-departing shadow.”
Honesty is the best policy, and only result of lying is guilt. That was true back in the time of the Buddha, and it’s going to remain equally valid forever.
10: “A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
Self-discipline has always been one of the most significant parts of Buddhist teachings. Training yourself to ignore temptations and lust is the only way you can pursue your dreams and not spend your life chasing after meaningless pleasure.
The Takeaway
At the end of the day, though, there’s one big piece of advice from Gautama Buddha that we’d say is the most important.
Be fluid. Recognize that you’re capable of change, and let things change you for the better. At the same time, don’t get too attached to anything, and live in the present.
Following these teachings, and the countless more you can find online, are an easy way even the average person can start following the path advocated by Gautama Buddha.