“Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word ‘Buddha’ is a title, which means ‘one who is awake’ — in the sense of having ‘awoken up to reality’.

The Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a god or a prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible.

Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had a privileged upbringing, but was jolted out of his sheltered life on realizing that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death.

This prompted him to puzzle over the meaning of life. Eventually he felt impelled to leave his palace and follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker after Truth.”

• Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
• What we think, we become.
• Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
• Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
• No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
• You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
• Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
• You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.
• To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
• The mind is everything. What you think you become.
• To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
• 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.
• We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.
• There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
• Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.
• Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.
• It is better to travel well than to arrive.
• Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
• It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
• Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
• 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.
• Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.
• Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
• He who gives away shall have real gain. He who subdues himself shall be free; he shall cease to be a slave of passions. The righteous man casts off evil, and by rooting out lust, bitterness, and illusion do we reach Nirvana.
• However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?
• Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering – an image of death.
• Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.