Buddhism Quotes

“Teachings not validated by personal experience are of little value.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“Decay is inherent in all things.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“Individuals create themselves through their moral choices. By freely and repeatedly choosing certain sorts of things, an individual shapes their character, and through their character their future.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“whereas the Judaeo-Christian tradition attributes the Fall of Man to pride and disobedience, Buddhism locates the origin of human suffering in desire.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“all living creatures are entitled to respect in their own right, not simply because of the utility they may possess for other humans.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“This … perception of impermanence … gives rise to the knowledge that even those things which seem most intimate to us – such as our emotions – are transient states which come and go. … From … detached observation it … becomes clear that even one's conscious mind is but a process like everything else. Most people regard their mental life as their true inner essence ( … ), but insight meditation discloses that the stream of consciousness is just one more facet of the complex interaction of the five factors of individuality, and not what one 'really is'.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“By learning to observe without becoming involved, the pattern of stimulus-response which underlies most human behaviour can be broken. Little by little the realisation dawns that one is free to choose how to react in all situations … The grip of long-standing habits is weakened and replaced with a new sense of freedom.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“Zen has a pronounced iconoclastic tendency, and regards the study of texts, doctrines, and dogmas as a potential hindrance to spiritual awakening, relying instead on humour, spontaneity, unconventionality, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression to communicate the idea of enlightenment”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“Is it necessary to believe in the existence of the six realms and the heavens and hells to be a Buddhist? Not necessarily. It is possible to interpret these as, perhaps, referring to other dimensions of existence, parallel universes, or simply states of mind.”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

“history has no overall direction or purpose”
― Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction