Buddha Quotations
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment
The above saying: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment” is from “The Teaching of Buddha: The Buddhist bible : A Compendium of Many Scriptures Translated from the Japanese”, published in 1934 by The Federation of All Young Buddhist Associations of Japan.
It’s found in the section titled “Sacred Aphorisms”.
This line is from Dhammapada Verse 348:
Munca pure munca pacchato
majjhe munca bhavassa paragu
sabbattha vimuttamanaso
na punam jatijaram upehisi
In Dhammapada, it is actually translated as: “Give up the past, give up the future, give up the present. Having reached the end of existences, with a mind freed from all (conditioned things), you will not again undergo birth and decay.”
Anyway, it is very true indeed. We all should not be bothered by what has happened in the past. It’s no use crying over spilled milk. And we also shouldn’t be overly anxious or distressed about tomorrow.
We do not know for real what is installed for us the next day. We can just hope, that’s all. The only thing we have is the very moment called PRESENT. In fact the very moment is all we have for now. Yes, live right now, as they say.
This magical present moment is the only path to enlightenment, to be joyful and mindful. The key is to be there for yourself; to be fully present in the life.
According to the internationally Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, the energy of mindfulness is the energy of the Buddha. And it can be produced by anybody.
The problem with us is that we are too busy and distracted to even know who we are. We forget to look at the people around us and even our own surroundings.
One great proven way is to meditate. To meditate is to be aware of oneself – our mind, body, feelings and the world around us.
Check out Thich Nhat Hanh’s book “Present Moment Wonderful Moment( Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living)“.
Things To Know About Buddha
He is popularly known as Buddha. The word Buddha actually means “the awakened one”. His actual name is Siddhartha Gautama. He was born as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini (now Nepal).
He started of as the leader and founder of a sect of wanderer ascetics and they are known as Sangha.
He is also known by other names, such as Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni or the Buddha.
He is the sage who founded Buddhism and taught the Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism. Buddha describes it as a path of moderation. It was after his death, his community of followers gradually evolved into a religious-like movement. Later it was established as a state religion in India by the time of Emperor Ashoka. [source]
Check out this beautiful poster of Buddha with headphone.
