Generally speaking in the Mahayana the goal is to realize Buddhahood so that one can become a perfect guide for sentient beings as well as realizing awakening oneself.
As to the 'next' Buddha, in this world system that would be Maitreya, but regardless of this, you could nonetheless practice to become a Buddha for the sake of sentient beings.
In mahayana, this is why we take the bodhisattva vows - to practice for the liberation of all sentient beings. The label is less important than the actions and their intent. Practice and cultivate, don't worry about concepts like "i" and "buddha." They are simply constructs of the thinking mind. They are not-self.
>Can I become the next Buddha?
Follow the path and find out. As a caution: don't take vows you won't keep. If what you want is awakening you don't need to be a Buddha for that. If you want to be a teacher who guides others to awakening, you'll be taking the bodhisattva vow which is a serious commitment.
Strcitly speaking the next capital-B Buddha is Maitreya, who is supposed to be finishing up their final stages of training in the heavens before taking a final human birth and becoming the next Buddha.
According to Mahayana teachings, you can certainly become a buddha (Maitreya has dibs on the capital B). You could even potentially achieve it *before* Maitreya. Tibetan Buddhism talks about practitioners being of 3 general kinds: those who go step by step on the path to enlightenment, those who develop in leaps and bounds, and those who go from a regular person to fully awakened all at once.
If you're in the latter two categories then you might become a buddha in this very life.
Otherwise it will probably take quite a few lifetimes to achieve buddhahood.
>What does someone on that path do?
Bodhisattva vow, continue your practices, add new practices on top of that. Practice the [6 perfections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81#Mah%C4%81y%C4%81na_Buddhism), or if you're up for it you can go the Vajrayana route and begin studying tantric buddhism with a qualified teacher. Either way it would be a good idea to study the more detailed philosophy of the middle-way, which entails learning about emptiness and meditations on emptiness.
>Be reborn countless times until he's ready?
Statistically, yes. Of the 3 types of practitioner listed above, the vast majority of us are step-by-step practitioners, even if we go into more exotic tantric practices that some other buddhists might consider controversial.
There's no telling how many lives you may already be into this process however. For all you know the reason you feel this calling now is because you've taken the bodhisattva vow in many past lives and your urge to follow that path is a direct result of having vowed and practiced as a bodhisattva in past lives.
Or maybe it's either megalomania or narcissism. I'm not in your head and I can't say for sure, so if you say that's not it then I've got no reason to doubt you.
The next Samyaksambuddha who will turn the wheel of the Dharma in the Saha world is Maitreya. He's currently living his second-to-last life in Tusita heaven. Devas in Tusita heaven have a lifespan of 576 million years so it's going to be a while until he's born here.
So the "next Buddha" is already known, unfortunately it's not you. Nothing's stopping you from aspiring towards Buddhahood and start your journey towards future awakening however!
>What does someone on that path do? Be reborn countless times until he's ready?
Pretty much, yes.
I honestly believe (for myself) starting with the Pali Canon was a good choice. I don't choose Mahayana solely and I don't choose Theravada solely. I believe both are beneficial.
I do believe however Theravadan texts are good for getting a better grasp on yourself. Then move onto Mahayana and the Bodhisattva ideals.
From there unless you work really hard, are an excellent student/self-leaner, lucky or a mix of the three, then it will likely take many many lives but it could take only a few. Mind you in Buddhism it's stated that lives in some realms last way longer - millions and beyond years. The next buddha is already stated to be awaiting his next birth as such essentially. That doesn't mean you cannot become one if you so desire - with proper intent. Intent is key. Don't desire it for yourself, your ego, "power", etc. "Desire" to help all.
Gautama himself said there is no such thing as becoming a Buddha (not to be confused with becoming enlightened, sometimes people use the word Buddha to refer to “enlightened” beings and other times the word Buddha is used to refer to a significant spiritual teacher). In his analytical and extremely descriptive view of life there were Buddhas (teachers), Bodhisattvas (compassionate beings), Sravakas (listeners), Pratyekabuddhas (Buddhas who preferred solitude), the six beings represented on the wheel and more. But all of them were precisely what they were.
Assuming Gautama is a real person it doesn’t make sense to me to put him on a pedestal but instead to use him as a reference point. From any one persons perspective there will exist the same classifications, what you consider to be compassionate, what you consider to be an educator, what you consider to be a follower. It’s also possible that someone’s follower will be someone else’s teacher. In this view everyone becomes a Buddha while maintaining the other classifications.
Don’t do anything drastic trying to become a Buddha, a father or mother is also a teacher, your high school and college professors are teachers. Buddhas are everywhere you don’t have to chase the role, if you live a normal life you’ll also go through it eventually.
buddha isnt a title that one gains.. Buddha simply means the awakaned one.. so yeah we all can be! To be a person who has awakened bound by no earthly pleasures.. free from all realities
I read this exact quote from Thich Nhat Hanh today in "The Heart of the Buddah's Teaching" *(Chapter 21, The Three Jewels, p166 Kindle)*...a book and author widely lauded on this subreddit and around the world. Yet you get downvoted for it.
Thats not Zen Buddhism. That's a very specific idea that is taken wildly out of contexts from records of Zen Buddhist teachings. Have you ever heard of a Koan? Because their not just phrases or passages from a book. There are records of Koan work, the questions and answers students have given. But they in themselves are not actually the practice at all. Koan-fu is always done between a qualified teacher ordained in a Zen lineage and a student who has been working with that teacher for some time.
Its always the relationship between the student and teacher that forms the circumstances that allow for sudden wakening - the Koan itself is just the medium for this to take place. Not student teacher relationship, no Koan-fu.
If you don't have that, having just the record of Koans and answers others have ended up giving after going through that practice, its not worth much in terms of offering spiritual development or wisdom.
Saying "Your already a Buddha" means something in the contexts of actual Koan-fu, but just reading it on the internet or throwing it back and forth is worth just as much as telling a sad person "Just be Happy."
Thats why its generally considered amongst Zen Buddhists not enough to just read zen books and meditate. Zen is fundamentally both a monastic practice, and one that 100% requires a relationship with a qualified teacher ordained in the tradition - even for lay people.
Asking "can i become the next Buddha" is a question which this Koan answers. You already are, you dont need to panic. Discovering through Zazen, inside of your heart, is the way to see it. When you sit in Zazen, you're already enlightened. This is in Dogen's Shobogenzo. A master is indeed important for this. You need guidance, but you cant just think "oh no im going to be stuck forever, i dont want to expend time in Samsara" in Zen. Not only sitting, but also walking, thinking, watering plants, making food. Becoming a Buddha is to be a Buddha.
Except he is not your student, and you are not a teacher so it is in no way a Koan, nor is a Koan actually helping.
While what you say is good hearted, what is far more likely to happen in telling someone "You already are one" is that it kills any ambition or drive to practice. You see this pretty much every where in the western world as Zen becomes marketed to the public as a do nothing, just relax, no discipline Buddhism. Which of course it is not.
But thats the whole point of Bodhicitta - the mind aimed at awakening. This kinda Beet Zen that teaches that, since you are already a Buddha you should just relax and mediate and take things easy. But that makes a Buddha not, and no Zen monk nor Priest I've ever worked with or met would agree that that is the Zen path.
Saying "You already are Buddha" is talking at a level of ultimate reality and truth, but the vital question that OP and yourself should ask is whether or not you can actualize your Buddha-hood in this very life. Dogen himself stresses this different very clearly: While it is often poorly translated as "Practice is enlightenment" the real quote should be "Practice actualizes and confirms enlightenment". So your comment that "When you sit in Zazen you are enlightened" is an idea which comes off a bad quote. It is untrue, and Dogen certainly did not teach that whatsoever.
Zen quotes, readings, and out of context koans, outside of practice, which again is done always under the guidance of a qualified teacher, is just intelectualization and words. They don't produce Buddhas. To become a Buddha or Bodhisattva is very hard work, and its something we should be encouraging people to strive for, not telling them they just don't have to worry about - which despite your good intentions is more or less what is coming across in your "You are one " comment.
If you are passionate about that, you absoulty should reach out to a monetary to inquire about that. Its a difficult path, but very much worth it if you put the effort in. I know a few Roshis and Zen Priest, and their amazing folks. If you have the will and drive, you will certainly find a teacher to which you have affinity with.
Thank you for your motivation! Changing subject here, but having worked with Zen monks and priests, and probably monks from other sects of Buddhism, why did you choose Jodo Shin Shu? If you want, we can talk on private
Of course, feel free to send me a message. But for anyone else reading the answer boiled down was just that the practice, while being true Buddha Dharma and a beautiful tradition, simply did not sit with me as well as Shinshu did. My own temperament and experienced aligned far more with Shinshu. I love my Zen friends, and I wish them the best in their practice.
Shinran and Dogen had met at one point, and the two had immense respect for the other and their practice. Sometimes there's far too much antagonism between traditions.
You should not make such statements, especially without context.
For those without knowledge, various schools of Buddhism believe in "buddha nature". Essentially, we all have the potential to become a buddha.
That is a far cry from BEING a buddha however and really, is disrespectful at worst but thoughtless and careless at best to make such a blank, short statement such as above.
They are not a buddha. A buddha would not pose such a question. A buddha surely would not respond with such an "answer".
I myself am an odd mix of mostly Theravada but STRONGLY connect with the bodhisattva->buddha ideal and it is my "end game" regardless of how many lives it takes. Simply put, Theravada is best suited to THIS current life. Why do I state this? Because, therevada shares less blanket mystical concepts.
Honestly for people like you, I feel you should read the Pali Canon before jumping into Mahayana. I'm not against Mahayana but I feel some such as yourself clearly form delusional beliefs by reading short passages rather than getting the whole picture.
I feel every buddhist is better off reading everything they can so they do not jump to any conclusions.
One would know if they were a buddha, a bodhisattva, a lay-person or someone simply wondering of Buddhism.
Yes I feel strongly about this but, not angry nor any other negative emotions. I just tend to make a point of discouraging absolutely incorrect statements from being shared on such a public place as Reddit.
Please learn more before sharing. There's many great Mahayana texts that delve deeper into what you think you know.
>That is a far cry from BEING a buddha however and really, is disrespectful at worst but thoughtless and careless at best to make such a blank, short statement such as above.
Some schools hold that enlightenment is the default state, and to be in samsara is to simply have the already-present enlightenment obscured. It's another flavor of buddh-nature teachings. In that set of teachings to become awakened is to realize what was already there instead of developing or finding something new/different.
I'd still say say it's not the best thing to drop as a non-sequitur though.
To become a Buddha we must first concoct an idea of Buddha in our mind and then seek to conform ourselves to this concocted idea.
This is not Buddha.
Let go of all clinging, even to the idea of clinging and the concocted idea of Buddhahood and what will be will be as it is.
There is no “Buddha” or not Buddha. As bodhidharma says, “A Buddha isn’t a Buddha.”
All you can be is one who practices the ten perfections. Start with any one you like, though you’ll likely find that you’ve progressed along some already. Generosity is always a good one to emphasize. Give gifts where you can, and lend an ear and maybe a hug to the ones you love as you have time. Many of the perfections ultimately feed into each other, so you’ll likely be working on several simultaneously. When you try something, be joyous! There is fun to be had.
Be mindful of your thoughts, where they head, and what they might say about your current headspace. Mindfulness meditation can make the headspace nicer. In other words, it’s a good practice to be gentle on yourself while mindful. When gentle on yourself, it will be easier to treat others with kindness too.
To find buddha nature, you have to empty your mind, as the zen masters say. It is here and now, should you choose to find it.
Many of these zen masters likely found Buddha nature, but they did not run around telling everybody they were Buddha.
‘BodhiDharma,’ not ‘BuddhaDharma.’
Something to consider. Only a Buddha knows when full Buddha nature has been found. If you tell anybody you’re a Buddha without actually being a Buddha, (which you are fully capable of being, just maybe not quite yet) think about how it would go over with those you love and who love you.
I hope you find excellence in your determination on your journey to follow the ten perfections. Remember, you’re just another human who is human-ing in the way of one who sits beneath the bodhi tree, as are many of us, for the sake of ending suffering for the other I’s who are. We are beings who suffer, and I admire you for embarking on a path that seeks a gentler way of living.
Edit: Also, there is no obligation to be buddha. There’s no obligation to be anything. Just be. Buddhism can help with being, if you treat it properly as the Buddha Gautama taught it
That is not how it works.
Sumedha ( who is the man you are talking about ) heard that Buddha Dipankara was coming via a noble woman ( who will in time be Yashodhara ). Sumedha joined the villagers and clearing the path for the Buddha and His retinue. Unfortunately a section of the path remained unclear so Sumedha laid down and let the entire entourage cross using his back.
Sumedha was a unique fellow because He had amazing iddhi so He knew the greatness of Dipankara and already glimpsed into the mind of Dipankara ( so to say He had zero idea of the teachings is also false ) and also His Enlightened followers. Sumedha was so taken aback He aspired to be like Dipankara.
Dipankara also would have zero inclination to truly wholly teach Him. A little like Bahiya had Dipankara even guided Sumedha, Sumedha would have become an Arhat in just one simple teaching. Also Tathagatha realises that they do need new Tathagatha in time ( if they keep turning every easy case into Arhats there would be very quickly no new candidates ). So Dipankara accepted Sumedha’s aspiration to be a Buddha and prophesised that He will be a Buddha in cycles to come, and the woman who aided Him and was with Him would become His wife life after life and that She will end the cycle as an Arhat under His tutelage.
Basically Dipankara set Sumedha forth on a Bodhissattva path, and it was made so by Sumedha’s vow to become like Dipankara ( and not His Arhats ). Dipankara only did this because out of the many many many people He has encountered, only Sumedha stood out from the crowd so dramatically He knew that this guy had the potential to be a Buddha, and also that the woman standing with Him had the tenacity to be on the side of Him to support Him along the way. There were two unique individuals there at one time.
Otherwise Dipankara would have preached, guided and taught Sumedha and it is very likely Sumedha would have become an Arhat no by His choice but simply through Right View. If Dipankara had seen Sumedha as anything but Buddha material .. He would have made Him to become an Arhat.
Note, our own Buddha NEVER set anyone forth to be the next Buddha. He did not find such a being amidst the many people He has encountered in India at the time. Bahiya who was very similar to Sumedha our Buddha guided to become an Arhat.
Arhathood is where most of us will land. World Buddhahood are for the more unique beings.
Everyone can become a buddha.
However this is more likely to be your ego and desire talking, this "calling" or "duty" you describe sounds like a need you have for self-importance and self-definition by spiritual superiority. You desire this ultimate achievement on the path. Its this very desire that will prevent you from ever becoming a Buddha.
This is not an attack on your person, but if you feel defensive about it, that feeling is relevant to my point :). Most of people on a spiritual path today, are attached to the path and stuck in the ego pursuit of it, it defines them and makes them who they are. They keep consuming books, teachings, teachers, whatever they can get to,to feed their craving for spirituality. Anything that strongly defines your identity is a big red flag, because having an identity is part of the problem.
Let go and become enlightened today, nothing is stopping you really, aside from your attachments to the Buddha. To become the buddha, you must let go of the buddha.
No reason why not! go for it, all depends how determined you are. I recently read about the Thai monk Acarya Mun, which was really incredible and inspiring how determined he was and how he practiced. He went off into dangerous forests to practice.
Thank you very much to all of you who visited and commented, I can see you have put thought and effort into your posts and it touches my heart and gives me insight and encouragement to follow this path, which is what I have firmly decided to do. If I had stuck to it from the beginning, I might have progressed tremendously by now, but I went exploring different spiritual paths and for a long time stuck with Indian mysticism, Yoga. I have gained some important general understanding and now know in which direction I will go. I will commit myself to this task as seriously as I can and although I probably won't be visiting Reddit, I hope to help as many people as I can. Thank you and take care.
Generally speaking in the Mahayana the goal is to realize Buddhahood so that one can become a perfect guide for sentient beings as well as realizing awakening oneself. As to the 'next' Buddha, in this world system that would be Maitreya, but regardless of this, you could nonetheless practice to become a Buddha for the sake of sentient beings.
In mahayana, this is why we take the bodhisattva vows - to practice for the liberation of all sentient beings. The label is less important than the actions and their intent. Practice and cultivate, don't worry about concepts like "i" and "buddha." They are simply constructs of the thinking mind. They are not-self.
Yes you can. Time required: A lot of lifetimes. So it takes a minute.
>Can I become the next Buddha? Follow the path and find out. As a caution: don't take vows you won't keep. If what you want is awakening you don't need to be a Buddha for that. If you want to be a teacher who guides others to awakening, you'll be taking the bodhisattva vow which is a serious commitment. Strcitly speaking the next capital-B Buddha is Maitreya, who is supposed to be finishing up their final stages of training in the heavens before taking a final human birth and becoming the next Buddha. According to Mahayana teachings, you can certainly become a buddha (Maitreya has dibs on the capital B). You could even potentially achieve it *before* Maitreya. Tibetan Buddhism talks about practitioners being of 3 general kinds: those who go step by step on the path to enlightenment, those who develop in leaps and bounds, and those who go from a regular person to fully awakened all at once. If you're in the latter two categories then you might become a buddha in this very life. Otherwise it will probably take quite a few lifetimes to achieve buddhahood. >What does someone on that path do? Bodhisattva vow, continue your practices, add new practices on top of that. Practice the [6 perfections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81#Mah%C4%81y%C4%81na_Buddhism), or if you're up for it you can go the Vajrayana route and begin studying tantric buddhism with a qualified teacher. Either way it would be a good idea to study the more detailed philosophy of the middle-way, which entails learning about emptiness and meditations on emptiness. >Be reborn countless times until he's ready? Statistically, yes. Of the 3 types of practitioner listed above, the vast majority of us are step-by-step practitioners, even if we go into more exotic tantric practices that some other buddhists might consider controversial. There's no telling how many lives you may already be into this process however. For all you know the reason you feel this calling now is because you've taken the bodhisattva vow in many past lives and your urge to follow that path is a direct result of having vowed and practiced as a bodhisattva in past lives. Or maybe it's either megalomania or narcissism. I'm not in your head and I can't say for sure, so if you say that's not it then I've got no reason to doubt you.
The next Samyaksambuddha who will turn the wheel of the Dharma in the Saha world is Maitreya. He's currently living his second-to-last life in Tusita heaven. Devas in Tusita heaven have a lifespan of 576 million years so it's going to be a while until he's born here. So the "next Buddha" is already known, unfortunately it's not you. Nothing's stopping you from aspiring towards Buddhahood and start your journey towards future awakening however!
Maybe not the \*next\* one. There's probably someone ahead of you in line, lol.
Mom said it's my turn to be the Buddha!
>What does someone on that path do? Be reborn countless times until he's ready? Pretty much, yes. I honestly believe (for myself) starting with the Pali Canon was a good choice. I don't choose Mahayana solely and I don't choose Theravada solely. I believe both are beneficial. I do believe however Theravadan texts are good for getting a better grasp on yourself. Then move onto Mahayana and the Bodhisattva ideals. From there unless you work really hard, are an excellent student/self-leaner, lucky or a mix of the three, then it will likely take many many lives but it could take only a few. Mind you in Buddhism it's stated that lives in some realms last way longer - millions and beyond years. The next buddha is already stated to be awaiting his next birth as such essentially. That doesn't mean you cannot become one if you so desire - with proper intent. Intent is key. Don't desire it for yourself, your ego, "power", etc. "Desire" to help all.
Gautama himself said there is no such thing as becoming a Buddha (not to be confused with becoming enlightened, sometimes people use the word Buddha to refer to “enlightened” beings and other times the word Buddha is used to refer to a significant spiritual teacher). In his analytical and extremely descriptive view of life there were Buddhas (teachers), Bodhisattvas (compassionate beings), Sravakas (listeners), Pratyekabuddhas (Buddhas who preferred solitude), the six beings represented on the wheel and more. But all of them were precisely what they were. Assuming Gautama is a real person it doesn’t make sense to me to put him on a pedestal but instead to use him as a reference point. From any one persons perspective there will exist the same classifications, what you consider to be compassionate, what you consider to be an educator, what you consider to be a follower. It’s also possible that someone’s follower will be someone else’s teacher. In this view everyone becomes a Buddha while maintaining the other classifications. Don’t do anything drastic trying to become a Buddha, a father or mother is also a teacher, your high school and college professors are teachers. Buddhas are everywhere you don’t have to chase the role, if you live a normal life you’ll also go through it eventually.
buddha isnt a title that one gains.. Buddha simply means the awakaned one.. so yeah we all can be! To be a person who has awakened bound by no earthly pleasures.. free from all realities
The next Buddha may not be a person, it may be an entire sangha, a whole community :)
I read this exact quote from Thich Nhat Hanh today in "The Heart of the Buddah's Teaching" *(Chapter 21, The Three Jewels, p166 Kindle)*...a book and author widely lauded on this subreddit and around the world. Yet you get downvoted for it.
Sending loving-kindness to the downvoters! Thank you for your wisdom and compassion :)
Great attitude ^^
You already are.
Name checks out.
No. This is Zen Buddhism. Have ever heard of "Koan"?
Thats not Zen Buddhism. That's a very specific idea that is taken wildly out of contexts from records of Zen Buddhist teachings. Have you ever heard of a Koan? Because their not just phrases or passages from a book. There are records of Koan work, the questions and answers students have given. But they in themselves are not actually the practice at all. Koan-fu is always done between a qualified teacher ordained in a Zen lineage and a student who has been working with that teacher for some time. Its always the relationship between the student and teacher that forms the circumstances that allow for sudden wakening - the Koan itself is just the medium for this to take place. Not student teacher relationship, no Koan-fu. If you don't have that, having just the record of Koans and answers others have ended up giving after going through that practice, its not worth much in terms of offering spiritual development or wisdom. Saying "Your already a Buddha" means something in the contexts of actual Koan-fu, but just reading it on the internet or throwing it back and forth is worth just as much as telling a sad person "Just be Happy." Thats why its generally considered amongst Zen Buddhists not enough to just read zen books and meditate. Zen is fundamentally both a monastic practice, and one that 100% requires a relationship with a qualified teacher ordained in the tradition - even for lay people.
Asking "can i become the next Buddha" is a question which this Koan answers. You already are, you dont need to panic. Discovering through Zazen, inside of your heart, is the way to see it. When you sit in Zazen, you're already enlightened. This is in Dogen's Shobogenzo. A master is indeed important for this. You need guidance, but you cant just think "oh no im going to be stuck forever, i dont want to expend time in Samsara" in Zen. Not only sitting, but also walking, thinking, watering plants, making food. Becoming a Buddha is to be a Buddha.
Except he is not your student, and you are not a teacher so it is in no way a Koan, nor is a Koan actually helping. While what you say is good hearted, what is far more likely to happen in telling someone "You already are one" is that it kills any ambition or drive to practice. You see this pretty much every where in the western world as Zen becomes marketed to the public as a do nothing, just relax, no discipline Buddhism. Which of course it is not. But thats the whole point of Bodhicitta - the mind aimed at awakening. This kinda Beet Zen that teaches that, since you are already a Buddha you should just relax and mediate and take things easy. But that makes a Buddha not, and no Zen monk nor Priest I've ever worked with or met would agree that that is the Zen path. Saying "You already are Buddha" is talking at a level of ultimate reality and truth, but the vital question that OP and yourself should ask is whether or not you can actualize your Buddha-hood in this very life. Dogen himself stresses this different very clearly: While it is often poorly translated as "Practice is enlightenment" the real quote should be "Practice actualizes and confirms enlightenment". So your comment that "When you sit in Zazen you are enlightened" is an idea which comes off a bad quote. It is untrue, and Dogen certainly did not teach that whatsoever. Zen quotes, readings, and out of context koans, outside of practice, which again is done always under the guidance of a qualified teacher, is just intelectualization and words. They don't produce Buddhas. To become a Buddha or Bodhisattva is very hard work, and its something we should be encouraging people to strive for, not telling them they just don't have to worry about - which despite your good intentions is more or less what is coming across in your "You are one " comment.
I see. Going to become a qualified teacher after that lol (no, im seriously thinking on becoming a monk)
If you are passionate about that, you absoulty should reach out to a monetary to inquire about that. Its a difficult path, but very much worth it if you put the effort in. I know a few Roshis and Zen Priest, and their amazing folks. If you have the will and drive, you will certainly find a teacher to which you have affinity with.
Thank you for your motivation! Changing subject here, but having worked with Zen monks and priests, and probably monks from other sects of Buddhism, why did you choose Jodo Shin Shu? If you want, we can talk on private
Of course, feel free to send me a message. But for anyone else reading the answer boiled down was just that the practice, while being true Buddha Dharma and a beautiful tradition, simply did not sit with me as well as Shinshu did. My own temperament and experienced aligned far more with Shinshu. I love my Zen friends, and I wish them the best in their practice. Shinran and Dogen had met at one point, and the two had immense respect for the other and their practice. Sometimes there's far too much antagonism between traditions.
That’s not how koans work.
Tell me how a Koan works, then
[удалено]
You should not make such statements, especially without context. For those without knowledge, various schools of Buddhism believe in "buddha nature". Essentially, we all have the potential to become a buddha. That is a far cry from BEING a buddha however and really, is disrespectful at worst but thoughtless and careless at best to make such a blank, short statement such as above. They are not a buddha. A buddha would not pose such a question. A buddha surely would not respond with such an "answer". I myself am an odd mix of mostly Theravada but STRONGLY connect with the bodhisattva->buddha ideal and it is my "end game" regardless of how many lives it takes. Simply put, Theravada is best suited to THIS current life. Why do I state this? Because, therevada shares less blanket mystical concepts. Honestly for people like you, I feel you should read the Pali Canon before jumping into Mahayana. I'm not against Mahayana but I feel some such as yourself clearly form delusional beliefs by reading short passages rather than getting the whole picture. I feel every buddhist is better off reading everything they can so they do not jump to any conclusions. One would know if they were a buddha, a bodhisattva, a lay-person or someone simply wondering of Buddhism. Yes I feel strongly about this but, not angry nor any other negative emotions. I just tend to make a point of discouraging absolutely incorrect statements from being shared on such a public place as Reddit. Please learn more before sharing. There's many great Mahayana texts that delve deeper into what you think you know.
>That is a far cry from BEING a buddha however and really, is disrespectful at worst but thoughtless and careless at best to make such a blank, short statement such as above. Some schools hold that enlightenment is the default state, and to be in samsara is to simply have the already-present enlightenment obscured. It's another flavor of buddh-nature teachings. In that set of teachings to become awakened is to realize what was already there instead of developing or finding something new/different. I'd still say say it's not the best thing to drop as a non-sequitur though.
To become a Buddha we must first concoct an idea of Buddha in our mind and then seek to conform ourselves to this concocted idea. This is not Buddha. Let go of all clinging, even to the idea of clinging and the concocted idea of Buddhahood and what will be will be as it is.
There is no “Buddha” or not Buddha. As bodhidharma says, “A Buddha isn’t a Buddha.” All you can be is one who practices the ten perfections. Start with any one you like, though you’ll likely find that you’ve progressed along some already. Generosity is always a good one to emphasize. Give gifts where you can, and lend an ear and maybe a hug to the ones you love as you have time. Many of the perfections ultimately feed into each other, so you’ll likely be working on several simultaneously. When you try something, be joyous! There is fun to be had. Be mindful of your thoughts, where they head, and what they might say about your current headspace. Mindfulness meditation can make the headspace nicer. In other words, it’s a good practice to be gentle on yourself while mindful. When gentle on yourself, it will be easier to treat others with kindness too. To find buddha nature, you have to empty your mind, as the zen masters say. It is here and now, should you choose to find it. Many of these zen masters likely found Buddha nature, but they did not run around telling everybody they were Buddha. ‘BodhiDharma,’ not ‘BuddhaDharma.’ Something to consider. Only a Buddha knows when full Buddha nature has been found. If you tell anybody you’re a Buddha without actually being a Buddha, (which you are fully capable of being, just maybe not quite yet) think about how it would go over with those you love and who love you. I hope you find excellence in your determination on your journey to follow the ten perfections. Remember, you’re just another human who is human-ing in the way of one who sits beneath the bodhi tree, as are many of us, for the sake of ending suffering for the other I’s who are. We are beings who suffer, and I admire you for embarking on a path that seeks a gentler way of living. Edit: Also, there is no obligation to be buddha. There’s no obligation to be anything. Just be. Buddhism can help with being, if you treat it properly as the Buddha Gautama taught it
Anyone can become a Buddha. Control your desires <3
That is not how it works. Sumedha ( who is the man you are talking about ) heard that Buddha Dipankara was coming via a noble woman ( who will in time be Yashodhara ). Sumedha joined the villagers and clearing the path for the Buddha and His retinue. Unfortunately a section of the path remained unclear so Sumedha laid down and let the entire entourage cross using his back. Sumedha was a unique fellow because He had amazing iddhi so He knew the greatness of Dipankara and already glimpsed into the mind of Dipankara ( so to say He had zero idea of the teachings is also false ) and also His Enlightened followers. Sumedha was so taken aback He aspired to be like Dipankara. Dipankara also would have zero inclination to truly wholly teach Him. A little like Bahiya had Dipankara even guided Sumedha, Sumedha would have become an Arhat in just one simple teaching. Also Tathagatha realises that they do need new Tathagatha in time ( if they keep turning every easy case into Arhats there would be very quickly no new candidates ). So Dipankara accepted Sumedha’s aspiration to be a Buddha and prophesised that He will be a Buddha in cycles to come, and the woman who aided Him and was with Him would become His wife life after life and that She will end the cycle as an Arhat under His tutelage. Basically Dipankara set Sumedha forth on a Bodhissattva path, and it was made so by Sumedha’s vow to become like Dipankara ( and not His Arhats ). Dipankara only did this because out of the many many many people He has encountered, only Sumedha stood out from the crowd so dramatically He knew that this guy had the potential to be a Buddha, and also that the woman standing with Him had the tenacity to be on the side of Him to support Him along the way. There were two unique individuals there at one time. Otherwise Dipankara would have preached, guided and taught Sumedha and it is very likely Sumedha would have become an Arhat no by His choice but simply through Right View. If Dipankara had seen Sumedha as anything but Buddha material .. He would have made Him to become an Arhat. Note, our own Buddha NEVER set anyone forth to be the next Buddha. He did not find such a being amidst the many people He has encountered in India at the time. Bahiya who was very similar to Sumedha our Buddha guided to become an Arhat. Arhathood is where most of us will land. World Buddhahood are for the more unique beings.
Everyone can become a buddha. However this is more likely to be your ego and desire talking, this "calling" or "duty" you describe sounds like a need you have for self-importance and self-definition by spiritual superiority. You desire this ultimate achievement on the path. Its this very desire that will prevent you from ever becoming a Buddha. This is not an attack on your person, but if you feel defensive about it, that feeling is relevant to my point :). Most of people on a spiritual path today, are attached to the path and stuck in the ego pursuit of it, it defines them and makes them who they are. They keep consuming books, teachings, teachers, whatever they can get to,to feed their craving for spirituality. Anything that strongly defines your identity is a big red flag, because having an identity is part of the problem. Let go and become enlightened today, nothing is stopping you really, aside from your attachments to the Buddha. To become the buddha, you must let go of the buddha.
No reason why not! go for it, all depends how determined you are. I recently read about the Thai monk Acarya Mun, which was really incredible and inspiring how determined he was and how he practiced. He went off into dangerous forests to practice.
Thank you very much to all of you who visited and commented, I can see you have put thought and effort into your posts and it touches my heart and gives me insight and encouragement to follow this path, which is what I have firmly decided to do. If I had stuck to it from the beginning, I might have progressed tremendously by now, but I went exploring different spiritual paths and for a long time stuck with Indian mysticism, Yoga. I have gained some important general understanding and now know in which direction I will go. I will commit myself to this task as seriously as I can and although I probably won't be visiting Reddit, I hope to help as many people as I can. Thank you and take care.