---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just…"
description: "\"“Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so do all of the teachings of Buddha have but one..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png"
---

#  Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great…

![“Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so do all of the teachings of Buddha have but one taste, the taste of liberation.” quote by Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png)

> ““Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so do all of the teachings of Buddha have but one taste, the taste of liberation.””

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

All Buddhist teachings share a single essence: liberation, like the ocean’s uniform salty taste.

**In simple terms:** Buddhist teachings all aim at freedom.

Key Takeaway

Seek the core of liberation.

Themes

spirituality unity freedom

Mood

calm thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- study
- daily mindfulness

Key Concepts

nonduality emptiness awakening

Questions to Reflect On

- What does liberation mean to you?
- How can you experience this unity?

A Different Perspective

Interpretations can differ, obscuring the shared essence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/)

## Related quotes

> [Buddhist teachings are not a religion, they are a science of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/buddhist-teachings-are-not-a-religion-they-are-a-science-of-mind/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [I don't like lakes generally. It's a glorified pond, isn't it? I live by the sea, so for me I need to taste salt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-d-acampo/i-don-t-like-lakes-generally-it-s-a-glorified-pond-isn-t-it-i-live-by/)

[Gino D'Acampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-d-acampo/)

> [Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so too there is but one taste fundamental to all true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but-one-taste-the-taste-of-salt-so-too/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [When I'm preparing for a swim, I imagine absolutely everything about it: the color of the water, how cold it is, the taste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-m-preparing-for-a-swim-i-imagine-absolutely-everything-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If he was wood, he was a flail, and I was grain on the threshing floor. I was a thousand grains, my thoughts blown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-micklem/if-he-was-wood-he-was-a-flail-and-i-was-grain-on-the-threshing-floor/)

[Sarah Micklem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-micklem/)

> [Marriage-May there be there be such a oneness between you that when one weeps; the other will taste salt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buxbaum/marriage-may-there-be-there-be-such-a-oneness-between-you-that-when/)

Martin Buxbaum

> [“I was in the deep water. It was dark and unclear and the taste of the salt was in my mouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-was-in-the-deep-water-it-was-dark-and-unclear-and-the-taste-of-the/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/just-as-the-great-ocean-has-one-taste-the-taste-of-salt-so-also-this/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [things that have cost more than they're worth leave a bitter taste. A taste of salt and sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-winslow-johnson/things-that-have-cost-more-than-they-re-worth-leave-a-bitter-taste-a/)

[Josephine Winslow Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-winslow-johnson/)

> [“the teachings of the Buddha are always meant to be put into practice in order to remove mental afflictions and suffering, and not primarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/the-teachings-of-the-buddha-are-always-meant-to-be-put-into-practice/)

[Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/)

> [The basics teachings of Buddha are about understanding what we are, who we are, why we are. When we begin to realize what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/the-basics-teachings-of-buddha-are-about-understanding-what-we-are/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [“Many years ago, I recognized that by understanding your own tradition better, you also develop increased respect, consideration, and understanding for others. I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/many-years-ago-i-recognized-that-by-understanding-your-own-tradition/)

[Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [We must learn from the sermons of Christ, the wisdom of Laotzu, the teachings of Buddha.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/we-must-learn-from-the-sermons-of-christ-the-wisdom-of-laotzu-the/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [“The essence of the Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) is about identifying the cause of our suffering &amp; alleviating it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-lokos/the-essence-of-the-dharma-the-teachings-of-the-buddha-is-about/)

[Allan Lokos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-lokos/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

## More by Jack Kornfield

> [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [In opening we can see how many times we have mistaken small identities and fearful beliefs for our true nature and how limiting this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/in-opening-we-can-see-how-many-times-we-have-mistaken-small/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Acceptance does not mean inaction. We may need to respond, strongly at times...From a peaceful center we can respond instead of react. Unconscious reactions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/acceptance-does-not-mean-inaction-we-may-need-to-respond-strongly-at/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [To live in this precious animal body on this earth is as great a part of spiritual life as anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-live-in-this-precious-animal-body-on-this-earth-is-as-great-a-part/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/we-do-not-have-to-improve-ourselves-we-just-have-to-let-go-of-what/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [To open deeply, as genuine spiritual life requires, we need tremendous courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-open-deeply-as-genuine-spiritual-life-requires-we-need-tremendous/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [As we step out of the way new things are born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/as-we-step-out-of-the-way-new-things-are-born/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [For most of us, generosity is a quality that must be developed. We have to respect that it will grow gradually; otherwise our spirituality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/for-most-of-us-generosity-is-a-quality-that-must-be-developed-we-have/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [What is truly a part of our spiritual path is that which brings us alive. If gardening brings us alive, that is part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/what-is-truly-a-part-of-our-spiritual-path-is-that-which-brings-us/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [“Working with these distractions, steadying the canoe, letting the waves pass by, and coming back again and again in a quiet and collected way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/working-with-these-distractions-steadying-the-canoe-letting-the-waves/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [To understand ourselves and our life is the point of insight meditation: to understand and to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-understand-ourselves-and-our-life-is-the-point-of-insight/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [To let go in the deepest recesses of the heart, to release all struggle and wanting, leads us to that knowing which is timeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/to-let-go-in-the-deepest-recesses-of-the-heart-to-release-all/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wisdom-says-we-are-nothing-love-says-we-are-everything-between-these/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/breathing-meditation-can-quiet-the-mind-open-the-body-and-develop-a/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

[Explore all 324 Jack Kornfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so do all of the teachings of Buddha have but one taste, the taste of liberation.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Kornfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/jack-kornfield-936_buddhism_buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just_928129.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Buddhist teachings put it this way: “Just as the great oceans have but one taste, the taste of salt, so do…” — Jack Kornfield",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jack Kornfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Buddhist teachings put it this way:...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/buddhist-teachings-put-it-this-way-just-as-the-great-oceans-have-but/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
