Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. – Buddha

Of course it goes without saying that even this comes from Buddha, it to should be subject to its own logic and only be taken once experienced.

The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to. -Chuang Tzu

Last night I spent nearly an hour meditating with the group up at the Milwaukee Shambala Center. Every Tuesday they offer meditation lessons or a group sit followed by tea and a lesson and discussion on Buddhism. This week they covered the third of the Four Noble Truths: Cessation of Suffering. The key to focus on as presented last night is the suffering we generate within ourselves once our basic needs are met.

The first truth is the recognition that suffering exist or the nature of suffering. Like all problems you can not solve them without acknowledging it. The second is the origin of suffering. Our desire to be right or to crave things leads to suffering. Cessation of suffering comes when we begin to let go of the desire to be right or crave. By releasing the thought, we can prevent the speech. Preventing the speech can prevent the action. Without the action there will be no suffering. In many cases there are more than one way to accomplish a task or goal. Instead of sticking to your guns and ideas on how it should be done, be open to all possibilities. You will feel less frustrated reducing your internal suffering. By being open and accepting of others ideas you will also cause less suffering for them.

It is our earth, not yours or mine or his. We are meant to live on it, helping each other, not destroying each other. – J. Krishnamurti

Let’s all take a moment and try to understand each other. If you can not understand, ask for an explanation and do not judge, just listen and inquire. If you disagree, simply state that you understand but disagree and respect the other opinion. If everyone were to take time to do this we can achieve world peace and eradicate racism.

Related: The Right View

I never think of the future – it comes soon enough. -Albert Einstein

The next is a quote from the Buddha which points directly to the philosophy behind Einstein’s quote:

All conditioned things are impermanent – When one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification. – Buddha

And lastly a fun one but poignant one:

The love of truth lies at the root of much humor. -Robertson Davies

If you are not familiar with Robertson Davies, he is a Canadian author probably best known for “The Manticore”.

I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. – Pablo Picasso

War can only be understood and put an end to if you and all those who are concerned very deeply with the survival of man, feel that you are utterly responsible for killing others. What will make you change? – J. Krishnamurti

There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth — not going all the way, and not starting. – Buddha

By the way, if you are near the Wisconsin area this coming July there is a great opportunity to learn from the Dalai Lama at an event sponsored by the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Madison.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. – Buddha

If you like quotes, like me, there are are lots of great quotes produced daily on this site and not just from Buddhism. They quote everyone from Buddha and Confucius to Groucho Marx and Churchill if the statement is pertinent to the Buddhist mindset. It is a nice little dose of inspiration. They have a widget for your iGoogle page as well.