66 Profound Zen Sayings from Chinese Buddhism That Shake the World
1. The reason people suffer is because they pursue the wrong things.
2. If you don't cause trouble for yourself, others can never possibly give you trouble. Because it's in your own heart that you can't let go.
3. You should always be grateful to those who bring adversity into your life.
4. You must always forgive all beings, no matter how bad they are, even if they've hurt you. You must let go to gain true happiness.
5. When you're happy, remember this joy isn't eternal. When you're in pain, remember this suffering isn't eternal either.
6. Today's obsession will cause tomorrow's regret.
7. You can have love, but don't cling to it, because separation is inevitable.
8. Don't waste your life on things you'll certainly regret later.
9. Whenever you let go, you'll be free from worries.
10. Every wound leads to maturity.
11. There's hope for the arrogant, but none for the self-deprecating. Recognize yourself, subdue yourself, change yourself, and only then can you change others.
12. Stop complaining about others and instead reflect on yourself. Complaining about others only makes you suffer.
13. A person who cannot forgive others from within will never find peace.
14. People filled with their own opinions and ideas can never hear others' voices.
15. It takes one word to destroy a person, but a thousand words to nurture someone. Please be more cautious with your words.
16. There's absolutely no need to look back at who cursed you. If a mad dog bites you, would you lie down and bite it back?
17. Never waste a single second thinking about anyone you dislike.
18. Speak out your dissatisfaction and grievances with compassion and gentleness, and others will be more likely to accept them.
19. Why do you want to fill the same bottle with poison? Why do you want to fill your heart with烦恼 (troubles)?
20. Things we can't obtain, we often think of as beautiful, simply because we know too little about them and haven't spent enough time together. One day, when you truly understand them, you'll find they're not as wonderful as you imagined.
21. Being alive for a day is a blessing; cherish it. When I cry about not having shoes, I realize there are people without feet.
22. Spend less energy criticizing others and more reflecting on yourself. Do you understand?
23. Hating others is a great loss to oneself.
24. Everyone has life, but not everyone understands or cherishes it. For those who don't understand life, life is a punishment.
25. Attachment is the source of suffering; letting go of attachment brings freedom.
26. Don't be too certain of your views; that way, you'll regret less.
27. When you're honest with yourself, no one in the world can deceive you.
28. It's shameful to use hurting others as a way to cover up one's own flaws.
29. Silently caring for and blessing others is an invisible form of charity.
30. Don't try to guess what others are thinking unless you have the wisdom and experience to make accurate judgments, which usually leads to mistakes.
31. To understand someone, just see if their starting point and destination align; that shows whether they're sincere.
32. Life's truths are hidden in the mundane and flavorless.
33. Perfume won't make someone who doesn't bathe smell good. Fame and respect come from real talent and virtue. Virtue naturally brings fragrance.
34. Time will always pass; let it take away your troubles.
35. Making simple things overly serious causes much suffering.
36. Those who constantly twist others' kindness beyond redemption are incurable.
37. Telling one lie requires ten more to cover it up. Why bother?
38. Wasting a day doing nothing is like committing theft.
39. Building many connections means not harming anyone.
40. Silence is the best response to slander.
41. Showing respect to others dignifies yourself.
42. Possessing a selfless heart means possessing everything.
43. Coming is accidental, going is inevitable. So you must follow the principle of adapting while remaining steadfast, and being steadfast while adapting.
44. Compassion is your best weapon.
45. Only by confronting reality can you transcend it.
46. Conscience is the fairest judge for everyone. You may deceive others, but you can never deceive your own conscience.
47. Those who don't know how to love themselves lack the ability to love others.
48. Sometimes we need to calmly ask ourselves: What are we pursuing? Why are we alive?
49. Don't distance yourself from close friends over minor disputes, nor forget others' great kindnesses due to small grudges.
50. Be thankful for what you have, and also for what you don't.
51. Being able to consider others' perspectives is compassion.
52. Speak without aggression or destructive power. Don't boast about your abilities or expose others' faults, and naturally enemies can become friends.
53. Honestly face your inner contradictions and blemishes; don't deceive yourself.
54. Cause and effect owe us nothing, so please don't complain.
55. Most people spend their entire lives doing three things: deceiving themselves, deceiving others, and being deceived by others.
56. The heart is the biggest liar; others may deceive you temporarily, but it can deceive you for a lifetime.
57. As long as you feel at peace, any direction is fine. If there's still one person left unenlightened, don't escape yourself.
58. When you hold onto something tightly, you can only possess that thing. If you're willing to let go, you'll have the chance to choose others. If the mind clings stubbornly to its own views and refuses to let go, then its wisdom can only reach a certain level.
59. If you can peacefully get through a day, that's already a blessing. How many people today won't see tomorrow's sun, how many will become disabled, how many will lose their freedom, and how many will see their families torn apart.
60. You have your view of life, I have mine. I won't interfere with you. As long as I can, I'll influence you. If I can't, then I'll accept my fate.
61. If you wish to grasp eternity, then you must control the present.
62. Harsh words should never come from our mouths, no matter how bad or evil someone is. The more you scold them, the more polluted your heart becomes. You should think: they are your good teachers.
63. Others can violate causality, harm us, hit us, slander us. But we cannot therefore hate others. Why? We must preserve a complete nature and a pure heart.
64. If someone lacks the feeling of hardship, it's hard for them to sympathize with others. To learn the spirit of saving others from suffering, you must first endure suffering yourself.
65. The world originally doesn't belong to you, so you don't need to abandon it. What you need to abandon is all attachments. Everything is for my use, but not mine to own.
66. Although we cannot change the surrounding world, we can only change ourselves, using a compassionate heart and a wise heart to face everything.