Buddha being a none-self that stood up from the river and the tree. How did he make the choice of to turn left or right on to a path? I understand the mindset or perspective he was coming from through his teachings but unless he placed himself on autopilot and watched his life as a third party or God...or perhaps full knowledge of past and future... nonchoice would have to be made as in like a story. How could this be when it is writen at his old age that he complained out his body hurting except in meditation unless it was not him complaining but Siddhartha Gautama? How can a buddha make a choice?
2007-01-13 09:32:12 · 5 answers · asked by crimsonskynight 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Being "selfless" means that you aren't enslaved by your material selfish desires. So once you are freed from those influences, you can make "selfless" decisions in harmony with others, with nature, and with God, or however you define the laws of creation.
2007-01-13 09:36:09 · answer #1 · answered by Nghiem E 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
To be non-self means that the person is not rule by what the ego dictates. Non-self actually means to be free from attaching to the pride, to be free from REACTING to the things around you and whatever people do to you.
Buddha is an enlightened being. To be enlightened means to be free from mental impurities and attachments (ego,sensual pleasures, anger, hatred,etc) . It doesn't mean that the enlightened person will have no more personalities and can't think anymore. Each enlightened being is still an individual. To be enlightened doesn't mean that you'll loose your individuality and disappear and merge with all there is. An enlightened person can still be able to keep his/her individuality and at the same time feel connected to all there is.
It doens't mean that once enlightened, he/she doesn't need a physical body anymore in order to continue to live in this physical plane. Being enlightened and living in this physical plane, he/ she will still have to have a physical body to do work here. Being enlightened just mean that the mind is free from impurities. Since the body is still physical and does age, the enlightened one will still go through the physical pain that an old person will go through. That doesn't mean that Buddha doesn't have the power to remove the pain. He just doesn't want to.
Buddha made choices according to what will benefit the humanity as a whole. Siddhartha Gautama is Buddha.
2007-01-13 19:25:31 · answer #2 · answered by Renee 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Siddartha became enlightened in his early thirties, if that can really be considered "old." Becoming Buddha does not turn you into some supernatural being of pure energy, it simply means "enlightened one."
So the man, enlightened or not, can still make choices.
2007-01-13 17:38:35 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Even an enlightened being does not escape from his/her past karma.For the Buddha,there were physical pain and suffering,but there were no mental pain and suffering.There were suffering but no sufferer.
2007-01-13 22:26:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anger eating demon 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Our individual preferences do not disappear upon enlightenment, they simply cease to be attachments. Thus we are "free from" desires, not without desires.
2007-01-13 17:44:37 · answer #5 · answered by neil s 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋