There is alot of wisdom in this old Zen saying. It's about trying to attain an external ideal (your idea of what the Buddha looks like) rather than realizing the ideal that already exists within you. It's about seeking, striving, looking to the future instead of simply being in the present.
Can people in other religions apply this to their own path?
2007-12-09 09:20:43 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
As Wise Duck mentioned...the true Buddha is within us...I thought that was implied, but maybe not if this is new to you.
2007-12-09 09:31:10 · update #1
"For he is not the real Buddha" is the rest of the saying(or something to that effect) i am not Buddhist, but am familiar with the quote. I think it is a great idea, people need not look to external sources i.e. religion, government or anyone else to find peace or solve their problems. Nine times out of ten the answer to ones problems lies within ones' self, and no one else. So kill the Buddha on the street because he is just a snake oil salesman selling false hope and peace.
2007-12-09 09:29:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that you are still very unenlightened, since the Buddha needs to be inside oneself, not outside -- it's the ego projecting what the Buddha means and represents onto another. If you "see" the Buddha, the unseen, you have a long ways to go!
2016-05-22 08:57:14 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a missing 2nd verse, "if you meet Mara (Satan) on the road, kill him". This second verse is easier to understand, it means eliminating one's defilements. It definitely does not mean physical killing.
The first verse is harder to understand correctly. Here is a conversation from the Diamond Sutra: "Subhuti, what do you think, is it possible to see the Thus Come One (Tathagata/Buddha) in his physical appearances?" "No, World Honored One, it is not possible to see Thus Come One in his physical appearances. Why? Because the physical appearances mentioned by the Thus Come One are not physical appearances." The Buddha said to Subhuti, "All appearances are empty and false. If one sees all appearances as no appearances, then one sees the Thus Come One."
".
Thus, 'killing a Buddha' means to eliminate all empty and false appearances.
2007-12-09 12:31:15 · answer #3 · answered by Prajna 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Literally, it is a little scary sounding...
Symbolically, I like it. It clealry means to follow your own internal peace, not what would be dictated by others... which even the buddha had to do. The Buddha himself fell under sharp criticism when he left the ascetics to seek a more balanced approach to life.
2007-12-09 09:29:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
You forgot, because the true Buddha is within us all part. As it stands it will just confuse people.
2007-12-09 09:26:56 · answer #5 · answered by Weise Ente 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
In today's society, you might be a lot safer just tasering Buddha.
2007-12-09 09:33:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure you can apply it to other religions & you could even go so far as to hear something similar in Batman Begins.LOL.
2007-12-09 09:28:33 · answer #7 · answered by Concept Styles 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It means kill your concepts.
2007-12-10 07:17:03 · answer #8 · answered by Shawn B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it's a good saying and everybody from all faiths can learn from it.
2007-12-09 09:28:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think that sounds kind of mean.
2007-12-09 09:24:16 · answer #10 · answered by K T 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋