As a relatively young man of 35, the Buddha claimed that he had awakened to the truth and thus freed himself of the sufferings of old age, sickness, and death. The 80th year of the Buddha’s life, however, was filled with pain and tragedy, culminating in the Buddha’s own death. […]
Quotes and Stories
73 posts
One day, while the Buddha was walking past the door of the monk’s quarters, he heard Ksudrapanthaka sobbing loudly. Near him, a circle of monks had gathered to laugh at him for being so foolish. The Buddha approached Ksudrapanthaka and asked him why he was crying. “What has made you […]
Shakyamuni Buddha expounds that the Lotus Sutra is the king of all sutras. Why is this so? Because the Lotus Sutra contains the seed of Supreme Perfect Enlightenment that will enable everyone to attain Buddhahood. The purpose of the Buddha’s lifetime teaching is to show and guide people toward […]
The Mayonnaise Jar When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the […]
Among the ten great disciples of the Buddha, Katyayana was the greatest at debate. There was a time when he left the Buddha to go south to teach the Dharma in Rajagrha. One day, he sent one of his very young disciples back to Jetavana Monastery to see the Buddha. […]
Sitting on the Road to Save His Clan The Buddha promoted peace and opposed war. Once, King Virudhaka wanted to attack Kapilavastu. According to Indian tradition, if an army encountered a monk, the war had to be halted immediately. To protect his homeland, the Buddha sat quietly in the path […]
Mountain Top Two travellers went hiking to reach the mountains. When they were half-way, the beginner looked at the undergrowth and began to lament, “Where is the beautiful scenery which you were talking about all the time?” His experienced companion smiled and answered: “You’re in the centre of it. You […]
Taming a Mad Elephant Devadatta was a monk who wished to displace the Buddha as the leader of the sangha. Thus Devadatta was constantly coming up with schemes to murder the Buddha. One day, the Buddha led his disciples with their alms-bowls outside the city of Rajagrha to collect alms. […]
A Turn of the Screw Once, there was a factory owner whose production line inexplicably broke down, costing him millions a day. Finally, he tracked down an expert who took out a screwdriver, turned one screw, and then the factory cranked back to life. The expert presented him a […]
Maudgalyayana was foremost in supernatural powers among the Buddha’s disciples. While his mother was alive, she slandered the sages and those who were virtuous; therefore, she fell into the realm of hungry ghosts after death. Using his supernatural powers, Maudgalyayana learned of his mother’s suffering and wished to offer […]
