BUDDHA’S WISDOM

Is there anything we can learn about God, our neighbor and ourselves from some of the other world religions?  Consider, for example, the following:

BUDDHA’S WISDOM

Siddartha Gautama*, known as the Buddha, or “Enlightened One,” died in 480 B.C., but his wisdom lives on

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, con­centrate the mind on the pres­ent moment."

"Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in rela­tion to everything else."

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at some­one else; you are the one who gets burned."

"Better than a thousand hol­low words, is one word that brings peace."

"Every human being is the author of his own disease."

"In the sky, there is no dis­tinction of east and west; peo­ple create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true."

"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways."

"We are what we think."

"Let us be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die. So, let us all be thankful."

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting."

"Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others."

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

QUESTION: What is there among any of these words of wisdom that do not resonate with your religion?  

*Siddhartha Gautama was a teacher, and religious leader. "Buddha", meaning "awakened one" or "enlightened one" is a title, not a name; the Shakyamuni Buddha, whose original name was Siddhartha Gautama, was the founder of Buddhism.

Buddha and Christ, the two personalities that have rerouted the course of human history; Both were born in the Asian continent, both destined to instill light and love to this world. One influenced the eastern hemisphere and the other the western hemisphere of earth. The simple human mind sees only the differences in their teachings without realizing that they were dealing with entirely different religious belief and cultural settings. But in a bigger picture their purpose was the same; to instill love and light to this world.

Here follow some more quotes from Buddha that should challeng our traditional thinking:

Do not go by revelation;
Do not go by tradition;
Do not go by hearsay;
Do not go on the authority of sacred texts;
Do not go on the grounds of pure logic;
Do not go by a view that seems rational;
Do not go by reflecting on mere appearances;
Do not go along with a considered view because you agree with it;
Do not go along on the grounds that the person is competent;
Do not go along because "the recluse is our teacher."