Unlike other religions such as Christianity or Islam where there is a single collection of teachings such as the Bible or Qur'an, Buddhism has several collections of Buddha's teachings as well as the derivations of these teachings. Following Buddha's death a meeting of his disciples was held at the Council of Rajagrha (500-250 CE). At this gathering some of Buddha's disciples formalized Buddha's instructions for monks as well as teachings for lay persons. Buddha's discourses form an important part of Buddhist devotions. The Buddhist credo "I take refuge in the Buddha, the dharmaand the sangha"occupies a central place in the dharmaor teachings.


Page from
The Lotus Sutra
Fragament from the Heart Sutra
Showing Buddha Preaching
at
the Deer Park in Sarnath


Some of the extant texts of Buddha's discourses include the Pali Tripitaka,the Suttapitakaand the Vinayapitaka.In Mahayana Buddhism, the important texts include theDiamond Sutra, a Chinese document dating back to 868 CE, and the Lotus Sutra. Other sacred texts include the Heart Sutra, or the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra,the Metta Sutra:Buddha's Book of Kindness, the Dhammapada, and the Satipatthana Sutra.

Excerpts from Buddhist Texts


On Possessing Personal Attributes


"'do you recognize me by the qualities I possess?' Subhuti answered,'no, because you have taught that the possession of qualities is no possession and no qualities.' Buddha said,'wherever there is possession of qualities, there is delusion. Wherever there is no possession and no qualities, there is no delusion. Thus, my qualities are no qualities.'"
from The Diamond Sutra

On the Absence of Perfection


"Buddha said, 'If anyone says I will create a perfect world, they do not speak the truth. Why? Because a perfect world is no perfect world, this is a perfect world. Therefore, let your mind be independent. Let your mind dwell nowhere. Develop a mind unsupported by sensations, and unsupported by things. It is as if your body were the whole universe. If you give away all you have to give, your merit will still not equal the merit from learning one verse of this good law, and fully teaching and explaining it. For where this law is spoken, there will be Buddha."
from The Diamond Sutra

On the Practise of Charity


". . .in the practice of charity a Bodhisattva should be detached. That is to say, he should practice charity without regard to appearances; without regard to sound, odor, touch, flavor or any quality. Subhuti, thus should the Bodhisattva practice charity without attachment. Wherefore? In such a case his merit is incalculable. Subhuti, what do you think? Can you measure all the space extending eastward? No, World-honored One, I cannot. Then can you, Subhuti, measure all the space extending southward, westward, northward, or in any other direction, including nadir and zenith? No, World-honored One, I cannot. Well, Subhuti, equally incalculable is the merit of the Bodhisattva who practices charity without any attachment to appearances."

On Letting Go of Ego


"if such men allowed their minds to grasp and hold on to anything they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality; and if they grasped and held on to the notion of things as having intrinsic qualities they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. Likewise, if they grasped and held on to the notion of things as devoid of intrinsic qualities they would be cherishing the idea of an ego-entity, a personality, a being, or a separated individuality. So you should not be attached to things as being possessed of, or devoid of, intrinsic qualities."

On Merit


"merit partakes of the character of no-merit."

On Mind-Body Connections


"For one who is at ease -- his body calmed -- the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind of one who is at ease -- his body calmed -- becomes concentrated, then concentration as a factor of awakening becomes aroused, he develops it and through development it comes to completion."
from the Satipatthana Sutra

On the Unutterable Nature of Truth


"As to any Truth-declaring system, Truth is undeclarable; so 'an enunciation of Truth' is just the name given to it."



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