#buddhism

The question has often been asked; Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what it is whatever label you may put on it. The label is immaterial. Even the label 'Buddhism' which we give to the teachings of the Buddha is of little importance. The name one gives is inessential.... In the same way Truth needs no label: it is neither Buddhist, Christian, Hindu nor Moslem. It is not the monopoly of anybody. Sectarian labels are a hindrance to the independent understanding of Truth, and they produce harmful prejudices in men's minds. ↗

— Walpola Rahula

#labels #names #philosophy #prejudice #prejudices

True compassion is undirected & holds no conceptual focus. That kind of genuine, true compassion is only possible after realizing emptiness. ↗

— Tsoknyi Rinpoche

#mind-training #mindfulness #nature

Through recognizing and realizing the empty essence, instead of being selfish and self-centered, one feels very open and free ↗

— Tsoknyi Rinpoche

#healing #health #mindfulness #nature

The path to enlightenment is really very simple - all we need to do is stop cherishing ourself and learn to cherish others. All other spiritual realisations will naturally follow from this. ↗

— Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

#love

Yes I am, I am also a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist, and a Jew. ↗

— Mahatma Gandhi

#christian #christianity #hindu #hinduism #islam

The word desire suggests that there is something we do not have. If we have everything already, then there can be no desire, for there is nothing left to want. I think that what the Buddha may have been trying to tell us is that we have it all, each of us, all the time; therefore, desire is simply unnecessary. ↗

— Tom Robbins

#desire #religion #religion

A boddhisattva is someone who is on the way to becoming a buddha. All of us become boddhisattvas as soon as we start to take our Zen work seriously and the work we do contributes to creating a world in which all good actions become more efficacious. ↗

— David Brazier

#religion #zen #religion

This body is fragile. It is just flesh. Listen to the heartbeat. Life depends on the pumping of a muscle. ↗

— Stephen Batchelor

#life #living #philosophy #religion #religion

Purity or impurity depends on oneself, No one can purify another. ↗

— Gautama Buddha

#buddhism #tipitaka #english

You only lose what you cling to. ↗

— Gautama Buddha

#insightful #insight