9 Buddhist Sayings to Reach Internal Peace
Buddhist sayings have something beyond just the essence of a religion. Their sharp, always cathartic focus helps you work on your state of mind and encourage a kind of happiness that’s based on balance, internal calm, and humility. That’s why Buddhism’s ancestral techniques based on meditation, mindfulness, and emotional regulation are very useful in the field of modern psychology.
Just about everyone has read something or other about Buddhism, its traditions, or its age-old legacy full of traditions and spirituality. Starting with Gautama Buddha, who gave his teachings somewhere around the 6th century B.C., this source of knowledge has been transforming in a lot of invisible ways to adapt itself to our current needs.
Plus you don’t need to practice this non-theistic doctrine that’s part of the dharmic family to benefit from the pillars that are so good for your personal growth. Nowadays there are a lot of psychological focuses that originate out of Buddhism’s philosophical legacy. Its practices have been picked up by a part of Western psychology. These practices influence a lot of processes used to improve things like emotional processing, self-control, or even for preventing relapses after overcoming depression.
Reaching internal peace through these Buddhist sayings, practices, and traditions is possible. According to Dr. Allan Wallace, one of the scientists and philosophers who has dedicated himself to the study of Buddhism and its uses in clinical practice, this is the kind of philosophy that can help you the most when it comes to turning off negative or catastrophic thoughts. And that’s why we’re positive these sayings will be extremely helpful for you.
Buddhist sayings for your day to day life
There are plenty of books where you can find the little gifts of wisdom that put their whole essence in these sayings. But we should also point out that we still don’t have definitive or trustworthy biographical information about Buddha. So everything we know about him and his religion comes from three specific sources. There’s the Vinaya Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka, and the Buddhacarita.
It’s through these texts that people have built up a lot of Buddhism’s philosophical and spiritual doctrine. And this is where these inspiring Buddhist sayings come from.
1. Find a purpose in life
“Your purpose in life is to find a purpose, and work toward it with all your heart.”
A person without a purpose is like a wandering soul that gets blown around by life’s ups and downs. Human beings need to have goals, objectives, and life purposes to give meaning to their days. Your purpose should motivate you to get up in the morning and give you the energy to always overcome challenges.
2. Work on your negative emotions
“No one will punish you for being angry. Your anger will do all the punishing instead.”
We said it right at the beginning: one of the ways Buddhism is useful in the practice of psychotherapy is that it helps you detect and become aware of your negative thoughts and all the emotions that put your daily balance in jeopardy.
Unprocessed anger, the kind that takes control of your mind and ends up making you blow up, is no good. And all that negative, rage-filled emotion usually flies back in your face. You’ll end up hurting yourself most of all, and might even lose the people you hold dearest.
3. The here and now is all that matters
“Don’t live in the past, don’t imagine the future: focus on the present moment.”
The importance of focusing on the here and now is one of the biggest points of mindfulness. It’s a strategy that involves becoming more aware of your surroundings, and it has close ties to Buddhism.
We’ve all heard it plenty of times. People recommend it and you make an effort: you have to focus more on the present. But that can take a lot of effort. And that’s because our lifestyles are based on the immediate future and goals to accomplish and we focus all our attention there.
So give it a try, take a deep breath, and calm your mind down. Stop and appreciate everything happening right now.
4. Self-control, the key to happiness
“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”
A disciplined mind is one that knows how to use self-control, one that prioritizes what’s important. And it’s a mind that leaves aside anything that’s not useful or doesn’t make sense. It has already learned to focus on positive emotions to experience real, but also humble happiness.
5. Attachment is the source of suffering
“The root of suffering is attachment.”
A toxic attachment, one that makes you other people’s prisoner, one that makes you dependent on material things or consumerism, is a common virus in our society.
Getting away from it, from that root that brings you more suffering than it does satisfaction, takes time and wisdom. So learn to live more freely and practice the detachment that will help you live more happily, and more in harmony with life and with yourself.
6. I understand you, you’re part of me, I’m with you
“True love comes from understanding.”
This is another one of the beautiful Buddhist sayings. True love isn’t about blind passion or the toxic attachment we just talked about. Above all loving means knowing how to care for and understand someone. Because people who understand have the courage and strength to get close to another person’s soul. They’ll show the other person they’re there, and understand what they feel and think. And it’s the kind of unconditional approval we all deserve.
7. You’re your own worst enemy
“Not even your worst enemy can hurt you as much as your own thoughts.”
Your worst, most ruthless, and destructive enemy isn’t around you. It doesn’t wear shoes, makes no sound when it walks, and doesn’t have a deep voice. And you know that voice really well because it’s you. You’re your own worst judge, jury, and executioner. You cut off your own wings and make yourself worried about how you won’t be able to handle this or that, how you don’t deserve to go any farther…
8. Consistency and perseverance
“If you add a bit to a bit, and do it often, it won’t take long for it to be a lot.”
This is one of the most useful Buddhist sayings for achieving your life goals. It’s as simple as being consistent in all your efforts. And it’s as simple as persevering and accomplishing your wishes no matter what kind of problems arise. This will help you fly much higher than you ever thought you could.
And to do that you don’t always need big gestures or huge efforts. Sometimes it’s enough to give a little bit every day. Day after day that tiny bit will turn into a gigantic mountain you can climb to the top of.
9. Speak intelligently
“One word that brings peace is worth more than a thousand with nothing inside them.”
Buddhism reminds us that human beings all have a similar weakness: we don’t speak intelligently. A lot of the time we talk from a place of bitterness, frustration, or any negative emotion that makes us prisoners and projects onto other people.
So try and avoid this language full of empty words that don’t help anything, do harm, and don’t help create bonds. Try and use wise words, ones that are simple but deep, ones that bring peace and balance.
Wrapping up, we know there are a lot of Buddhist sayings that would be worth adding to this list. You might even have your own favorites, but there’s a specific goal behind all the ones we gathered up here. They can help you reach internal peace, process your negative emotions, and focus on the present moment.
So try and learn from them, and make them your daily standards for living a more balanced, happier life.
