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Buddha was a guy
Dhammika
Veteran
Sometimes, the Buddhist path can seem so impossible and overwhelming, with its many challenging lists and against-the-stream attainments and achievements, and the aura of the Blessed One and his great disciples, compared to our grubby little unskillful selves. Then, I look up at the candle-lit green ceramic Buddha statue on my home alter, flanked by one smaller gently-smiling wooden Buddha and another grinning metal Buddha, all in perfect equipoise and equanimity, and remember: 'Now, wait a minute. The Buddha was a guy, just a guy, who one day, said, 'Now, wait a minute...' 'Somehow, that little insight is a lot inspiring. And so, onward, with the Stumblebum School of Buddhism, I practice.
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Comments
Yup. And Jesus was just a guy, too, who inspired others. I think it's helpful to realize that these spiritual leaders were just people. If they can do it, we can.
One day at a time, one foot in front of the other...
"Buddha was a guy" ...and whata guy !!!
@Dhammika
The Buddha was just a guy!
While there are plenty of Buddhists who's practice requires them to think that the Buddha was more than "just a guy",
the word Buddha for me, better describes anyone's success at trying to embody the truths of the 4NT & 8FP.
Here, the Buddha is just as often, a girl.
There are different ways to interact with The Buddha as @how mentions.
The idealisation and deification as a Vishnu incarnation or Lama possesion is one extreme.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_(Buddhism)
Another is to see Buddha Dung.
http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/glg/glg21.htm
For most of us the important aspect is our Middle Way. In other words Buddha awakening within. Better than fantasy Buddhism? I think so.
It depends how your inclinations work. Do you wish to be magically saved ... or save yourself as Buddha mk1 did?
Yes, I think Buddha v. 1.0 was the best iteration.
Jesus was not the Son of Santa Claws? They duped me!
Yes @Dakini exactly so,
we are inspired by heroic super heroes: Buddha, Batman, Jesus, Isis, Tara etc. In our personal story we make use of these mythical creations but ultimately have to become extraordinarily ordinary.
How so? Well they are super models or templates for our own construction ... and in a sense our resonance, assimulation and dissolving.
"Thief, thief! Someone has stolen my camel!" cried Nasrudin.
Finally after the commotion was quietened someone observed, "But Nasrudin, you have no camel."
"Shhh..." said Nasrudin, "I am hoping the thief is unaware of this and the camel will be returned."
https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/Sufism/Nasrudin
I think I am going to write a song titled 'Extraordinarily Ordinary'.
I think it might have been done already.....
Yup! Buddha was just a regular guy. Then he had that 'Awakening' thing and went out to tell everyone, "Hey, look what I found!". What made him extraordinary was the the fact that he said, "Y'all can do it too." And he meant it!
Peace to all
I have spent my whole dharma efforts daily falling over myself in this neo-tradition.
My teacher was a Master of Mahayana Stumblebum. He used to fall, jibber and wander to straighten others but hey, we can not all be Boddhisattvas ... oh wait ... I think we can ...
This is why I do not understand (who really knows anything anyway) why so many hold him in such reverence. Respect I understand, but reverence? That crosses the line for me. My practice is simple, and there is a certain value in simplicity.
@Metaphasic it really depends on what we are like and how we have been taught. An emotional bond with the Buddha can be very inspiring for some. They may be coming to the Middle Way via love, faith and visualisation. Different rafts for different folk.
A simple raft with no paddling is not better. It is application and practice that denotes success in all fields. I guess we all knew that really ...
Maybe, but in my experience reverence leads to desire, whether to be with or like the person being revered. Desire can cause suffering, as indicated by all the "am I doing it right" threads, or people feeling inadequate due to perceived failings in the attempt.
I understand why some might arrive at reverence, but as to whether or not it leads one forward on the path... I do not think so. But again, I don't know anything, and could very well be wrong.
^ In my estimation, reverence might better be thought of as awe, and awe, saith the philosopher King Solomon, is the beginning of wisdom. Prajna (wisdom) takes in the first two of the spokes of the eight-fold path, namely right view and right intention.
I think some kind of awe or reverence is needed for the Magnet* that will lead us closer to the Light. If that is desire, it is the desire to be more fully and to experience more truly and more deeply. That desire is not a desire for anything in particular, but for contentment. (Contentment is the French word for happiness, btw.) Contentment is, in a way, a kind of fullness, but it can also be the synonymous with the Buddhist idea of emptiness, in that there is no real need for anything else to be either added or subtracted.
For those of you, like Lobster, who may have noticed similarities between Sufism and Buddhism, I found some historical info years ago that said that the founder of Sufism came from a part of Inner Asia where Islam and Buddhism developed side by side. Sufism apparently arose from a local cultural "stew" that was full of Buddhist elements.
In the mahayana shakyamuni or historical Buddha is an example of nirmanakaya. And then there are the other two kayas or bodies called samboghakaya and dharmakaya. The other two kayas are not 'just a guy' aside from the union of the three kayas/bodies.
Correction, then: The Buddha WAS "just a guy", when he was wandering, meditating, and seeking. After he realized Nirvana, he became more than "just a guy". He became The Buddha.
Reverence because reverence means a large amount of respect or deep respect.
Exactly so @seeker242
"Americans Philip Kapleau and Professor Phillips were once visiting the Ryutakuji. Soen Nakagawa Roshi was Abbot at the time. He was giving them a tour of the place."
"Both Americans had been heavily influenced by tales of ancient Chinese masters who'd destroyed sacred texts, and even images of the Buddha, in order to free themselves from attachment to anything."
"They were thus surprised and disturbed to find themselves being led into a ceremonial hall, where the Roshi invited them to pay respects to a statue of the temple's founder, Hakuin Zenji, by bowing and offering incense."
"On seeing Nakagawa bow before the human image, Phillips couldn't contain himself, and said: "The old Chinese masters spit on Buddha statues or burnt them down! Why do you bow down before them?"
"If you want to spit, you spit," replied the Roshi. "I prefer to bow."
http://taletown.org/stories/being-becoming/120-you-spit-i-bow
In any gase he was very smart guy.
I hold reverence to a different standard of respect, for example as implied in the title Reverend, or respected that comes close to crossing the line into worship, or the giving of some status unattainable by the rest.
I worship no man, though certain ideals I hold high regard. I do not need a miniature statue of anybody to remember what should be remembered in the first place.
I am not trying to argue anything here, as we're dealing with opinion, it would be impossible anyway. Just stating my own.
When Schweitzer talked about reverence for life, I think he was referring to the kind of respect that cannot be entirely separated from awe and well-wishing.
In other words, reverence, though not necessarily worshipful, is not only holding something in high regard, but is holding a certain sanctuary in part of your heart for that something.
But we must allow different strokes for different folks and let each proceed in a way that is genuine to him or to her.
That's cool.
I was just using the standard dictionary definition. There are many people who revere him but at the same time don't worship him. However, there are many people who worship him too. But Buddhism doesn't really teach that you should worship him that way. I think that's mostly a cultural thing in some cultures, not really "Buddhism" per say.
I think in my sangha 'worshipping' would be asking a teacher to teach the dharma and praying that they stay in the world.
The 7 branches of prayer are what is taught widespread in Tibetan Buddhism.
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Seven_branches
"The Buddha was also a Guy" is a great source of inspiration and comfort. His teaching can be understood by any intelligent person who listens to it intelligently. So we can definitely generate the first level of wisdom " Sathya gnana " that is needed to enter the path when we critically verify whether the Noble Truth is true or not.
I heard that the word Buddha is written with only 2 Chinese characters and they mean " No Man" . It may help our understanding of the Dhamma if we ponder over "What makes me believe that I am a Guy? " , "when what conditions are present in my mind do I believe that I am a Guy? " etc.
The Buddha was an English gentleman and therefore superior in every way.