--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Buddha himself said, \"I still use…" description: "\"The Buddha himself said, \"I still use conceptual thinking, but I'm not formed by it.\" And that's the Buddha.\" — Tenzin Palmo" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/tenzin-palmo-1431_buddha_the-buddha-himself-said-i-still-use-conc_3176834.png" --- # The Buddha himself said, "I still use conceptual thinking… ![“The Buddha himself said, "I still use conceptual thinking, but I'm not formed by it." And that's the Buddha.” quote by Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/tenzin-palmo-1431_buddha_the-buddha-himself-said-i-still-use-conc_3176834.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/tenzin-palmo-1431_buddha_the-buddha-himself-said-i-still-use-conc_3176834.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/tenzin-palmo-1431_buddha_the-buddha-himself-said-i-still-use-conc_3176834.png) > “The Buddha himself said, "I still use conceptual thinking, but I'm not formed by it." And that's the Buddha.” [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even enlightened beings use concepts, but they are not limited by them. **In simple terms:** Concepts are tools, not cages. Key Takeaway Use ideas without being bound by them. Themes mindfulness conceptual thinking freedom spirituality Mood calm insightful Type spiritual educational When to use this quote - meditation - teaching - daily problem solving - creative work Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy non-attachment cognitive flexibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance thinking and direct experience? - When do concepts become obstacles? A Different Perspective Overreliance on concepts can hinder intuition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddha/) [Conceptual thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceptual-thinking/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“When a child is immersed in a certain environment, his thinking is formed by roles models of behavior demonstrated by parents in the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-a-child-is-immersed-in-a-certain-environment-his-thinking-is/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“The Buddha said that there are three times that a person should consider the consequences of any action: before, during, and after. “One should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/the-buddha-said-that-there-are-three-times-that-a-person-should/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [Did you know that according to legend, the guy who became Buddha decided to seek enlightenment the day he got a touch of gray?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/did-you-know-that-according-to-legend-the-guy-who-became-buddha/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [Buddha is said to have given a "silent sermon" once during which he held up a flower and gazed at it. 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He said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/you-are-a-buddha-and-so-is-everyone-else-i-didn-t-make-that-up-it-was/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [To experience anything fully and see it clearly there must be a moment of presence where conceptual thinking is not interfering with your experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-experience-anything-fully-and-see-it-clearly-there-must-be-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Space is a unifying field of awareness in which you meet the other person without the separative barriers created by conceptual thinking. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/space-is-a-unifying-field-of-awareness-in-which-you-meet-the-other/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Because our educational system is hung up on precision, the art of being good at approximations is insufficiently valued. This impedes conceptual thinking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/because-our-educational-system-is-hung-up-on-precision-the-art-of/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## More by Tenzin Palmo > [All of us are playing roles, and there's nothing wrong with playing roles because we have to live in this world - the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/all-of-us-are-playing-roles-and-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-playing/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [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/) > [I really don't know what I could teach and don't really plan to teach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/i-really-don-t-know-what-i-could-teach-and-don-t-really-plan-to-teach/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. 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But what is the cause or reason for this auspicious sign?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-reeves/then-maitreya-bodhisattva-thought-now-the-world-honored-one-has/) Gene Reeves > [It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/it-is-possible-that-the-next-buddha-will-not-take-the-form-of-an/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“The foundational Vajrakilaya is the sun shining in the sky behind the clouds. The path Vajrakilaya is the removal of the clouds from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyatrul-rinpoche/the-foundational-vajrakilaya-is-the-sun-shining-in-the-sky-behind-the/) Gyatrul Rinpoche > [Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. 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