This is a genuine quote from the Buddhist scriptures, said to have been uttered by the Buddha himself:
‘As I am, so are these.
As are these, so am I.’
Drawing the parallel to yourself,
neither kill nor get others to kill.
It’s from a text called the Nalaka Sutta, which is found in the Sutta Nipata)
“‘As I am, so are these. As are these, so am I.’ Drawing the parallel to yourself, neither kill nor get others to kill.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
This is a saying from the Pali canon, upadhi dukkhassa mūlanti, which means “Attachment is the root of suffering.” So this is a genuine canonical quote.
You’ll find it in this sutta, but translated by Thanissaro as “Acquisition is the root of stress.” His translations are rather idiosyncratic.
In this translation of the same sutta it’s “acquisition is the root of suffering.”
Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation (not available online, but in The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, page 868) has “attachment is the root of suffering,” although he sometimes has “acquisition” in place of “attachment,” in various repetitions of the phrase.
“The root of suffering is attachment.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
This is a canonical quote, and it’s rather lovely. It’s from the Samyutta Nikaya, and in Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translation you’ll find it on page 708:
“We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.” The Buddha Click To Tweet“Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘We will develop and cultivate the liberation of mind by lovingkindness, make it our vehicle, make it our basis, stabilize it, exercise ourselves in it, and fully perfect it.’ Thus should you train yourselves.”
This is a genuine Buddha quote.
As a water bead on a lotus leaf,
as water on a red lily,
does not adhere,so the sage
does not adhere
to the seen, the heard, or the sensed.
It’s from the Jara (old age) Sutta of the Sutta Nipata.
In the original Pali this is:
“As a water bead on a lotus leaf, as water on a red lily, does not adhere, so the sage does not adhere to the seen, the heard, or the sensed.” The Buddha Click To TweetUdabindu yathāpi pokkhare
Padume vāri yathā na lippati,
Evaṃ muni no palippati
Yadidaṃ diṭṭhasutaṃ mutesu vā.
As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.
This is a genuine Buddha quote. It’s from the Dhammapada, verse 320.
“As an elephant in the battlefield withstands arrows shot from bows all around, even so shall I endure abuse.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
This striking verse is found in the Magandiya Suta in the Sutta Nipata, which is generally held to be one of the oldest texts in the Pali canon.
Bhikkhu Thanissaro translates this as:
“Those who grasp at perceptions and views
go about butting their heads in the world.”
Fausböll, a 19th century pioneer translator, has:
“But those who grasped after marks and philosophical views, they wander about in the world annoying people.”
Suttas.net has:
“Those attached to the notion ‘I am’ and to views
Roam the world offending people.”
The translator notes that “I am” is not in the quotation, but that its inclusion is warranted by material nearby.
The original Pali is:
Saññaca diṭṭhiñca ye aggahesuṃ
Te ghaṭṭayantā vicaranti loketi.
My rendition would be:
Those who cling to perceptions (saññā) and views (diṭṭhi)
Wander (vicarati) the world offending (ghaṭṭeti) people.
[Added later: Bhikkhu Varado’s translation, which I just discovered, is almost identical to mine: “Those attached to perception and views / roam the world offending people.”]
“Those who cling to perceptions and views wander the world offending people.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
“‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.” The Buddha
This is a genuine Buddha quote. It’s from the Dhammapada, verse 277.
“‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering.” The Buddha Click To Tweet
All tremble at violence; all fear death.
Putting oneself in the place of another,
one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
This is a genuine Buddha quote. It’s from the Dhammapada, verse 129.
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.”—The Buddha Click To Tweet
This is a genuine quote from the Buddhist scriptures.
“Just as with her own life A mother shields from hurt Her own son, her only child, Let all-embracing thoughts For all beings be yours.” The Buddha Click To TweetJust as with her own life
A mother shields from hurt
Her own son, her only child,
Let all-embracing thoughts
For all beings be yours.
It’s from the Metta Sutta.
This is a genuine Buddha quote. It’s from the Dhammapada, verse 80:
Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves.” The Buddha Click To TweetIrrigators channel waters;
fletchers straighten arrows;
carpenters shape wood;
the wise master themselves.