Trying to find a Buddha or enlightenment is like trying to grab space. Space has a name but no form. It's not something you can pick up or put down. And you certainly can't grab it. Beyond this mind you'll never see a Buddha. The Buddha is a product of your mind. Why look for a Buddha beyond this mind?
-- The Zen teachings of Bodhidharma
James: This reminds me of the koan, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." Which for me means many things such as the message/teachings being more important than the teacher. For some It can be easy to get attached to the idea of Buddha and see him as some kind of god to be worshiped but I see that as being a distraction. It attempts to shift the responsibility for our liberation away from ourselves to a caricature of Buddha as a savior rather than an example. Buddha is not a god--my understanding is that Buddha is beyond all labels, forms and titles. For me, worshiping the Buddha is like worshiping a bar of soap because Buddha can not do anything for us except shine the torch to show the way.
Buddha is almost always depicted as meditating, which for me is a symbol of the DIY (do it yourself) philosophy that is so popular today. When Buddha was meditating on the night of his enlightenment he did not worship some mystic deity hoping that he didn't have to do the difficult work and could be saved without effort on his part. I have to do the heavy lifting on my journey just like Buddha so many years ago. Praying to Buddha is in my view pointless. I see it as a waste of time that could be spent meditating, which is the vehicle Buddha used to awaken from the slumber of the eg0-self and liberate himself from samsara. Again, the message (the dharma) is more important than the messenger. Buddha is long gone into mahaparinirvana.
Even if Buddha was around to hear those prayers he couldn't answer them or fulfill the desires they contain because he is not a god. The very idea of prayer is the act of trying to satiate our desires and that is a dead-end path according to Dharma.
19 comments:
Zen is the sharp sword
that slices off attachments
this is done sitting
I have a similar view. In fact, I never really think much about the Buddha, except to be grateful that he taught at least some of what he knew, and to marvel and the amazing insight into the natural world that he had.
Yes, build monuments
to those who ignorance loves
for birds to crap on
Be here yesterday,
no noting and letting go
then mindfulness sucks
Yes, yes, yes!
Suppression is what
you do before you give in,
direction solves all
Along walks Buddha
Many bow down before him
Some would cut him down
Start at the middle
finish at the beginning,
that's vipassana
Chanting is useless
Sutras waste ink and paper
Sit down and shut up
Wake up chosen pigs,
arms and asses to the sky,
it's life on the farm!
I may know little
But the one thing I'm sure of
Is pigs don't have arms
Yo, what do I know?
Am just a twitched up, jive ass,
mouth set back mo fo!
Great stuff...Merry Christmas
Buy another book,
make me rich, selfish morons.
Try reading yourself!
yea, even Buddha can not liberate you and me. I was just wandering through cyber looking for friends or friends to be. Just came back from Zendo.
Blue Fire:
Well, you'll find many friends here including me. I welcome all voices to this space as long as everyone respects others.
Welcome to The Buddhist Blog!!
I bow to the Buddha within you.
_/I\_
To my haiku friends:
Breathing words like air
haiku waters wisdom seeds
wisdom sprouts in brains
good post...
One does not worship the finger pointing to the moon.
Totally agree with your mind.
Buddha is only the torch in d darkness around ...
looking for the buddha in me
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