Hi Bill & Mel and All,
All the interpretation so far are close. Let me say a bit more.
Buddha in the general term is the "universal life force and wisdom".
When someone is "in sync" to it, this person is honored with the title
of Buddha, such as Guatama Buddha, Guanyin Buddha, etc.
Because it is the "universal life force and wisdom", it is everywhere
and in everything, because it manifested all.
And this universal life force and wisdom possess certain
characteristics. Or in ordinary language, it functions by following a
certain set of laws. This set of principles is also called the Laws of
Nature, the Nature of the Universe, or Buddha Nature, or Self Nature.
Everything in the universe functions according to this set of
principles. My teacher has identify seven of them. If you are
interested, I can share with you.
Therefore, meditate to enhance our chi is critical to be in sync with
the universal life force and wisdom. Like a radio receiver, it requires
power to be sensitive. As our energy enhances, then we can witness
spiritual healing, karma transfer, the TriKaya, etc., phenomena in the
spiritual domain. Then we could intuitively witness our own Buddha
Nature and its manifestation in everyday life, without having to rely on
external teachings through unreliable words.
Yes, we are able to "just get it" within ourselves.
JM
On 1/13/2012 2:02 AM, Bill! wrote:
Mel,
Thanks for your reply. You said a lot and I don't want to comment on
every little thing, but one thing you talked about is worth a few words:
The word/name 'Buddha' is confusing to many because it is both the
name (title actually) given to Guatama Siddartha after he became
enlightened - or so the story goes. I think 'Buddha' is a title that
means 'one who has awakened'. This historical person is called
'Buddha' or 'the Buddha' by many, but he was not the first or
certainly only Buddha.
'Buddha' is also used as a shortened version of 'Buddha Nature' or
'Buddha Mind'. You'll hear many people say things like 'everyone is a
Buddha', or 'everyone has a Buddha inside him'. What they should be
saying (IMO) is 'everyone has Buddha Nature' and it is just a matter
of realizing or becoming aware of Buddha Nature which you already have.
Mel or anyone else, let me know if you understand these terms in a
different way.
...Bill!
--- In [email protected] <mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com>,
Mel <gunnar19632000@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Bill and all
>
> People refer to that Great All out there as 'god', and yet Taoists
have come up with TAO...and many involved with Zen in today's world
have referred to it as 'buddha'. I suppose it really depends from
which religious background the individual comes from. I have not
succeeded yet in going through the whole Bible(both Old and New, plus
the Apocrypha) but I do believe that Christians at least have
enquired(judging from what I had read so far in online scriptural
discussions) whether the One and Supreme Creator has hands, wings,
feet, etc....in other words, an actual, physical being or make. Being
so, the atheist camp would then say things such as,"If so, then Yahweh
can't possibly be in more than one place at the same time"....and yet
all of the Big 3 Faiths teach their followers that the Holy Father
sees all, and knows all. This then brings the question of....how big
is God exactly? Huge to the point that he sees and knows all? Is this
about
> size? How is He exactly...everywhere?
>
> Buddha. The world knows he was just a man. According to the late Zen
teacher Deshimaru-sensei, there are sources to indicate that he died
from eating poisoned food, or pork. However, we do not worship(in the
religious sense) the man who lived long ago. I personally do not know
yet where the idea of 'buddha' being the same as 'god' or 'tao' being
all and one...and the same thing. I personally accept it(minus the
Yahwe part). Let me first point out however, that my only source for
the moment is Zen Mind Beginners Mind...and TaoTeChing(trans., John H
McDonald) to a very limited extent. With Buddha, there are no arms,
legs, eyes...and so forth...to mention, and yet the late Zen teacher
(Shunryu) Suzuki-sensei say that Buddha is everywhere. One may then
conclude...does Yahweh rest within Buddha's realm? If Yahweh has an
actual physical form, does He then exist within Buddha's embrace? I
personally do not know, but I can only speak of what I believe, or
> what my personal interpretation(s) is
>
> I have 2 'buddha'-like statues in my room that I bow to before and
after zazen, or when I leave. However, this bowing is no more
different to me when I bow to my meal before I eat, and afterwards.
With this in mind, there is a parallel here with the Christian and
Jewish faiths(I'm lacking on info for the moment with Islam on this
one). But, these little 'buddhas' I own are not representative of some
Being out there. They are worthy of respect because they represent
something much higher and worthy than my own dualistic
desires...especially greed and attachment
>
> Having said the above so far, is Buddha then made of air that that
travels around the planet and therefore sees and knows all, and
therefore everywhere? To me personally, Buddha has not got the actual,
physical form I had described above...and yet Buddha is everywhere.
People new to Zen will not comprehend this easily, nor will it sit
easily with them if they understand, because there are no actual
descriptions, instructions, directions of faith or worship...and so on
>
> In Buddha's grace
> Mel
>
> PS. I have mentioned the need for sincerity when it comes to
Zen...or Buddha if one prefers. What this means for the new seekers
is....how badly do you want Buddha? For my part as a Karate student,
the only way I can get through works such as...
>
> - A Book of 5 Rings
> - Hagakure
>
> ...is through Zen/Buddha. No goal, no attainment...if one must die,
then one must die. It's all about living this moment, and the next,
and the next, and the next....
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Bill! <BillSmart@...>
> To: [email protected] <mailto:Zen_Forum%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, 12 January 2012 6:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [Zen] New to Group
>
>
>
> Mel,
>
> Just to get you to share a little more with us I'll respond to your
post below:
>
> 'God' is supposed to be everywhere too, just like you said Buddha was.
>
> So, do you think they're both (God and Buddha)in the same place
(everywhere) together? Or do you think they are the same thing? Or what?
>
> ...Bill!
>
