Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

I read somewhere online the following Buddha quote:

"All of my teachings can be put in a single sentence. Nothing is to be clung to as I, me, or mine."

When I Google it, I find 4,220 results with the exact sentence. I am almost sure this is a fake Buddha quote, but still would like to confirm if there is (or is not) really any sutta where the Buddha said this (especially the bold part above). I would appreciate your input.

Sounds like a fake.

Anatta is only one of the three characteristics (tilakkhaṇa) or marks of existence, not the one and only.

Nearest thing, but definitely not the same:
Body is not self, feelings are not self, perception is not self, mental constructs are not self and consciousness is not self…When one sees this one becomes detached from these things, being detached the passions fade, when the passions have faded one is free, and being free one knows one is free (Samyutta Nikaya 3. 66)

The nearest thing to a one sentence summary:

Dhp.183. To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

Not fake IMO — just a paraphrase of teachings in the Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta and elsewhere.

“Whatever consciousness, whether past, future, or present; internal or external; gross or fine; inferior or superior; far or near; should be seen with own knowledge, as it truly is, ‘This is not mine, I am not this not, this is not my self’.”

Good find, Venerable.

However, not the sum-total of all teachings as quoted in the OP.

This is almost certainly a reference to MN 37 (repeated in sutta 61 of the Anguttara's book of sevens) where Sakka asks, "In brief, how is a bhikkhu liberated in the destruction of craving? " and the Buddha replies, "A bhikkhu who has heard that nothing is worth clinging to as me, I, or mine, he directly knows all things." Whether or not this can accurately be referred to as "all of the Buddha's teachings in one sentence" is up for debate, but sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya is probably the best summation of the Dhamma I've come across.

Most Buddha quotes are fake, because the Dhamma can't be summarized into a cute little post. Attempts to do so are usually one-dimensional, and trite. In general, they do more harm than good.

The Buddha says he teaches only two things: Suffering and the end of suffering. As clinging to atta leads to suffering, and clear vision of anatta leads to non-suffering, the OP does not seem horribly misleading. However, I do see where a fool (such as myself) could be led astray by such a statement. It seems the Buddha reserved these sweeping simplified statements for people who were already rather wise, not as a soundbite for mass consumption. Usually his wide spread soundbite message would be more along the lines of teaching kamma, generosity, metta, peace, etc. Not to say those are inferior practices to anatta, simply that they are less prone to perversion by the foolish (such as myself), and lay a strong foundation for perception of anatta.

Thank you everyone, for the possible suttas/sources.

David N. Snyder wrote: Nearest thing, but definitely not the same:
Body is not self, feelings are not self, perception is not self, mental constructs are not self and consciousness is not self…When one sees this one becomes detached from these things, being detached the passions fade, when the passions have faded one is free, and being free one knows one is free (Samyutta Nikaya 3. 66)

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:

“Whatever consciousness, whether past, future, or present; internal or external; gross or fine; inferior or superior; far or near; should be seen with own knowledge, as it truly is, ‘This is not mine, I am not this not, this is not my self’.”

LonesomeYogurt wrote:This is almost certainly a reference to MN 37 (repeated in sutta 61 of the Anguttara's book of sevens) where Sakka asks, "In brief, how is a bhikkhu liberated in the destruction of craving? " and the Buddha replies, "A bhikkhu who has heard that nothing is worth clinging to as me, I, or mine, he directly knows all things."

Buckwheat wrote:The Buddha says he teaches only two things: Suffering and the end of suffering. As clinging to atta leads to suffering, and clear vision of anatta leads to non-suffering, the OP does not seem horribly misleading.

All of the above sayings of the Buddha are quite close to the quote in the OP. However, as David said, these still do not explicitly present sum-total of all teachings in one sentence. But as LonesomeYogurt noted it is up for debate. Among all I find Buckwheat's quote about suffering above, and David's quote

To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind this is the teaching of the Buddhas.

to be the closest to a one-sentence summary. But then they do not explicitly say anything about no-self (although it is implied by "cleanse one's mind", or by "suffering and the end of suffering").
LonesomeYogurt's quote from MN37 sounds to me the closest to a one-sentence summary with reference to no-self.

alan wrote:Most Buddha quotes are fake, because the Dhamma can't be summarized into a cute little post. Attempts to do so are usually one-dimensional, and trite. In general, they do more harm than good.

That is interesting perspective, alan, and maybe you are right. But I don't see how they do more harm than good.

Greetings,

I don't like fake Buddha quotes. I think that if someone is lacking in integrity such that they would stuff words down the Buddha's throat, then this lack of integrity is representative of a lack of progression in the pursuit of the Dhamma. Thus, whatever view they put forward in the name of the Buddha is likely to be lopsided, like their own development. If someone thinks they have something insightful to say, let them say it on their own behalf, rather than try to leverage the Buddha's good name.

"Nothing in life is perfect. We either find joy in the imperfection or we find it nowhere at all." - Retrofuturist (not Buddha).

Metta,
Retro.

I saw a Buddha quote on Facebook the other day:

"The trouble is, you think you have time." - The Buddha

It could've been seen as a paraphrase of the Pabbatopama Sutta so I wasn't too disgusted by it. If it isn't blatantly contrary to The Buddha's teachings and is used positively, I don't see the harm.

@Retro: I agree, and I also don't like fake quotes, but people may be quoting (the words not said by the Buddha) without any bad intention. But I can see how it can affect one's practice.
The quote (in the OP) says that the Buddha said: "All of my teachings can be put in a single sentence...". If the Buddha really said (in any sutta) that all of his teaching can be summarized into one sentence teaching about no-self/no-clinging, then that can significantly change some people's Dhamma practice.

@Viscid: But even if some fake quotes are not blatantly contrary to The Buddha's teachings and even if they are useful in some ways, the important thing is not to slander the Tathagata as said in Abhasita Sutta.

Viscid wrote:I saw a Buddha quote on Facebook the other day:

"The trouble is, you think you have time." - The Buddha

It could've been seen as a paraphrase of the Pabbatopama Sutta so I wasn't too disgusted by it. If it isn't blatantly contrary to The Buddha's teachings and is used positively, I don't see the harm.

Hello Viscid,

It is one of my signature lines - I got it from one of Jack Kornfield's books - not a quote from The Buddha.

With metta
Chris

I dislike fake Buddha quotes that misrepresent the Dhamma in any way; however, I also realize that the suttas are not the most easily quotable scriptures on Earth, and recognize the value in earnest paraphrases.