Buddha Quotes

Buddha Quotes given below are just few words or a couple of sentences, but they have a meaning that is deeper and far reaching. Just read them slowly to grasp the exact meaning.

“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.”

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”

“An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind.”

“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

“To understand everything is to forgive everything”

“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”

“A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.”

“Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.”

“However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?”

“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

“You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself”

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”

“A jug fills drop by drop.”

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”

“Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”

“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”

“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”

“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

“The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.”

“Virtue is persecuted more by the wicked than it is loved by the good.”

“To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.”

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

“Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”

“Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

“To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others”

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”

“He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.”

“To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

“There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.”

“Life is suffering.”

“Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”

“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

“All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.”

“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?”

“Ambition is like love, impatient both of delays and rivals.”

“Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”

“Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence.”

“The tongue like a sharp knife... Kills without drawing blood.”

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

“Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”

“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

“Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”

“He is able who thinks he is able”

“He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.”

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”

“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.”

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.”

“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”

“In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves.”

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then beleive them to be true. “

“It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways. “

“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.”

“On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.”

“Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.“

“The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve.”

“Unity can only be manifested by the Binary. Unity itself and the idea of Unity are already two.”



“We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.”

SOURCE: http://www.buddhist-tourism.com/

Savings schemes back in favour

Savings schemes back in favour
By Bakul Chugan Tongia, ET Bureau

An anonymous author once said: “In the old days, a man who saved was a miser; nowadays, he is a wonder.” This precisely emphasises the way people have changed their perception about money.

At the same time investment patterns have also seen drastic changes in the past few years. Today, only a few of us, would prefer the conventional ways of saving as riskier assets like, equities and related instruments are much more in demand.

Savings schemes offered by the neighbourhood post office, like the National Savings Certificate (NSC), Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) and Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), may not be the talk of the investor-focussed shows on television, but given the volatility of the equity markets and uncertainty with respect to interest rates on bank deposits, the assured returns from these traditional savings vehicles have become appealling once again.

Of the three post office schemes, namely, the NSC, MIS and KVP, tax exemption up to Rs 1 lakh under section 80C of the Income Tax Act is available only to the NSC. The interest earned, however, is taxable for each of the three schemes, as also is in the case of interest earned on bank deposits. It is therefore the returns, and not the 80C benefit, that we would stress upon while comparing these schemes.

Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP)

Though withdrawable after 2 years and 6 months, KVP will fetch the best returns only if held over the maturity period—that is, 8 years and 7 months.

An investment in KVP will double at the end of the maturity period, implying a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%. However, a withdrawal from KVP before the stipulated tenure would grossly impact the returns.

For instance, withdrawal from KVP on completion of 6 years would earn Rs 5,433 for every Rs 10,000 invested. This is worse than the NSC which returns Rs 6,010 for every Rs 10,000 invested after the maturity period of 6 years. As a matter of fact, even banks, which are currently offering interest rate of 7.5% for over 5 year tenure, compounded quarterly, return about Rs 5,620 for every Rs 10,000 invested.

On the other hand, if held for the entire tenure of 8 years and 7 months, every Rs 10,000 invested in KVP would return Rs 10,000, (double the investment) while a bank deposit, at the current prevailing rates, for the same period, would earn Rs 8,920 and NSC Rs 9,607. (It may however be noted that investment in NSC cannot be extended beyond 6 years). A KVP is thus recommended only if the investor can afford to stay invested till its maturity, otherwise, it is beneficial to choose either the MIS or NSC.


Monthly Income Scheme (MIS)
As the name suggests, this scheme is designed to provide a monthly income for the investors. A lumpsum amount invested today will earn a simple interest of 8% p.a. that will be paid out to the investor each month.

MIS thus loses out on the benefits of periodic compounding of interest and would in fact turn out to be least beneficial of all schemes, including bank deposits if the interest so earned is not utilised efficiently.

To make the most out of the MIS, it is recommended to invest the monthly interest receipts in a Recurring Deposit (RD) of a bank or the post office itself.

While the post office currently offers a 5-year RD account, earning an interest rate of 7.5% p.a. compounded quarterly, banks today are offering rates varying from 6.5% to 7.75% p.a. for RD accounts of more than a 5-year tenure.
And as banks offer RD accounts for periods ranging from 1 to 10 years, investors can easily operate an RD account for 6 years, coinciding with the maturity period of the MIS.

An added advantage to the investors of MIS is a bonus payout of 5% on the initial amount of investment. Thus, an investment of Rs 10,000, today, will fetch a simple interest of Rs 4,800 during the entire tenure of 6 years and an additional bonus of Rs 500 payable upon maturity, taking the total amount to Rs 5300 in 6 years.

If an RD account operates simultaneously, a monthly investment of the interest received from MIS, Rs 67 in this example, in RD would fetch an interest of Rs 1,274 in six years.

An investment of Rs 10,000 in MIS-cum-RD scheme would thus earn Rs 6,574 after 6 years. These returns are higher than not only those of bank deposits, at the prevailing rates, but also those of the NSC.

National Savings Certificate (NSC)

Currently earning an interest of 8% p.a. compounded every six months, NSC is the most popular among the three, given its 80C tax benefit.

However, as far as the returns over a period of six years are concerned, MIS-cum-RD turns out to be a far better bet. Earning Rs 6,010 for every Rs 10,000 invested, the effective CAGR yield on NSC turns out to be 8.16% as against 8.79% in case of MIS-cum-RD.

Thus, if 80C is not the criterion for investing, investors would indeed be better off with an MIS-cum-RD plan rather than an NSC.

SOURCE: THE ECOMONICS TIMES

Mahatma’s teachings echo in Japanese Parliament

Mahatma’s teachings echo in Japanese Parliament

NEW DELHI: Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama invoked the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi during his policy speech at the 174th session of the Japanese Parliament, Diet, to outline the challenges facing Japanese society and the path to their amelioration.

Beginning the speech by narrating the seven social sins inscribed at the Raj Ghat, Mr. Hatoyama confessed that he was struck by how Mahatma Gandhi’s words “incisively” pointed to the problems facing Japan and the world today. The moment he stood before the Gandhi memorial, he resolved to begin his government’s major policy speech by narrating the seven social sins listed by the Mahatma.

“Has the economy that sustained the material wealth of the 20th century made people rich, in the true sense of the word, and happy? How should we control the excesses of ‘commerce without morality’ and ‘wealth without work’ while maintaining a capitalist society? What kinds of economy, politics, society and education are desirable to enable people to live happy lives befitting human beings?” Mr. Hatoyama said.

He answered the poser himself by pointing out that “to borrow Gandhi’s words, our challenge is to foster ‘the morality of commerce’ and restore ‘wealth derived from work’.” India figured again in Mr. Hatoyama’s speech when he mentioned it along with Indonesia, countries that held extremely high expectations for increasing cultural exchange activities between people.

People-to-people exchanges

To meet such expectations, over the next five years, Japan would expand people-to-people exchanges in Asia “dramatically” by inviting over 1,00,000 youth, primarily from the Asian nations.

“We will also reciprocally increase the number of people intimately familiar with the various languages and cultures of the countries of the Asian region dramatically, thereby fostering the human resources that will serve prominent roles at the core of the East Asian community,” he said.

Source: The Hindu, dt. 02.02.2010

http://www.thehindu.com/2010/02/02/stories/2010020260671800.htm