Sutras Quotes

“It is like a lighted torch whose flame can be distributed to ever so many other torches which people may bring along; and therewith they will cook food and dispel darkness, while the original torch itself remains burning ever the same. It is even so with the bliss of the Way.”
― Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni, The Sutra Of The Forty-Two Sections

“As we discard a limited mind and a life of limitation to step into the grandness of vastness, we realize infinity itself to be the Guru and all that we do as grace. As we traverse through consciousness that is the Guru, we become the Guru and each thought of ours is perfect in the now, as scriptures. Consciousness is the Guru, the wisdom.”
― Nandhi Tapasyogi, Mastery of Consciousness: Awaken the Inner Prophet: Liberate Yourself with Yogic Wisdom.

“Mystic ways may not all travel but life's riddles we can unravel.”
― James Tunney, The Mystical Accord: Sutras to Suit our Times, Lines for Spiritual Evolution

“The last five hundred years: It is well known from the Scriptures of all schools that after the Buddha's Nirvana the Dharma will progressively decline, and that every five hundred years a decisive change for the worse takes place... "The last five hundred years, when Buddhists will be strong in nothing but fighting and reproving, and the Dharma itself becomes practically invisible.”
― Edward Conze, Buddhist Wisdom: The Diamond Sutra and The Heart Sutra

“The people who wrote down the Bible and the people who wrote down the Mahayana sutras were artists. They used images to express their insights.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Battles: Modern Commentary on the Teachings of Master Linji

“All sutras claim to be the teachings of the Buddha, yet they were all were written down much later. Even the earliest sutras, the ones that make up the Pali Canon of the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which has thrived in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, were first written down four centuries after the Buddha died. The sutras that form the scriptural basis of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, which has thrived in Central and East Asia, were composed starting in the first century bce, many being translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by the end of the second century of the Common Era. When these scriptures were brought from India to China, the different schools of Chinese Buddhism distinguished themselves from one another by claiming that one sutra or another is the pinnacle of the Buddha's teaching.

The Zen school, however, is different. While Zen Buddhists do study and chant many sutras and other texts, the Zen school is unique in that it does not claim to be based on any written teachings at all; rather, it is based on the Buddha's actual experience of enlightenment. This experience of enlightenment is aid to be attainable by all human beings, insofar as the Buddha-nature or Buddha-mind is universal. In other words, all human beings have the same underlying nature and mind as the Buddha. Yet this Buddha-nature or Buddha-mind must be realized, awakened to, and actualized, and the best method for doing so is the one that the Buddha himself used: meditation.”
― Bret W Davis, Zen Pathways: An Introduction to the Philosophy and Practice of Zen Buddhism

“The Sūtras most commonly used in the Zen monastery are (1) The Prajñāpāramitā-hridaya-sūtra, known as Shin-gyō, (2) The Samantamukha-parivarta, known as Kwannon-gyō, which forms a chapter of the Pundarīka Sūtra, and (3) The Vajracchedikā Sūtra or Kongō kyō in Japanese. Of these three, the Shingyō being the simplest is recited almost on all occasions.”
― Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, The Training Of The Zen Buddhist Monk

“In the Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing, also known as the Anapanasati Sutta, the Buddha shows us how to transform our fear, despair, anger, and craving. I was so happy the day I discovered this sutra. I thought I'd discovered the greatest treasure in the world. Before, I'd been content to simply gain knowledge. I didn't know how to enjoy the present moment, how to look deeply into my life, and how to enjoy the positive conditions that were all around me. This sutra is so basic and so wonderful. There are many great sutras, but approaching them without this sutra is like trying to reach the top of a mountain without a path to go on.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Breathe! You Are Alive: Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing