29. Buda é um Salvador?
18/09/2010 11:08
29. Is Buddha a Savior?
When Shakyamuni preached his teaching to people, he did not ask anyone to rely on him. He taught people how to be liberated from sufferings, but he did not claim himself as a Savior even once. His last words to his disciples were, " Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself; do not depend upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light. Rely upon them." Thus, Shakyamuni was a spiritual leader in Buddhism but he was not a Savior.
We have a tendency to believe in and rely on others. When we see a famous doctor recommend a particular food for good heath on TV, we buy it without doubt, don't we? Although each of us has a different health condition, we often get information from TV, books or other mass media on how to loose weight fast or some other health enhancing opportunity, and try to do the same without considering our condition. When things do not go as we wish, we may say, "There is nothing I can do. Please save me God!" Even the bible says, "God helps those who help themselves."
Shakyamuni did not tell his disciples to blindly believe him. He always taught his disciples to examine the teaching and use it as a good tool to help bring about change. Some people pray for Buddha to save them, but Buddha is not a Savior. Buddha is the truth or energy of the world. When you try to cross over a muddy stream, you should learn the energy flow of the stream and how much energy and skill you have. If you go across it without knowing these facts, your life is in danger and no one can save you. But if you learn these teachings and use nature's energy effectively, you may have a good chance to accomplish the crossing.
Buddha is not a Savior. When we understand the teaching well, and we come to know our own skill and energy, we can save ourselves by many directions. Buddha is telling us to open our eyes to realize the truth then we can rely on ourselves without praying, "Save me!"
wakened without properly using our five senses. When we face difficulties, it is a time for us to learn a lesson physically and spiritually. If we give up our life and kill ourselves, our whole life becomes in vain. When we open our eyes to the reality, we are able to find a path that is suitable for us. Whatever happens to us, we should not give up our lives.
There were quite a few priests who killed themselves in history. During the Viet Nam war several priests killed themselves to protest the war. Before the Chinese Army took over Tibet, many Tibetan monks committed suicide. Because of these historical incidences, some people think that Buddhism encourages individuals to commit suicide. This is not true. There were reasons behind those suicides. War creates a living hell in this world, and no one benefits from fighting. People hurt their bodies and minds thereby suffering tremendously. There is a Bodhisattva vow to lead people toward a nonviolent world. The priests who committed suicide in Viet Nam demonstrated this vow to stop the war. Also, if a soldier kills a monk, he will face a huge negative energy of Karma, therefore, by killing himself, the monk can save soldiers from the status of killing a monk.
The Diamond Sutra says, "The best hero of Bodhisattvas who has held supreme knowledge performs the vow of salvation for all sentient beings, until the world vanishes, and has no intention of entering to the abiding state of Nirvana... Those who take up this unsurpassed secret teaching will always be protected and secure, because no demons or anyone else will hurt or slay them. Those who take up this teaching, will reach the state of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and obtain all the fruitful fulfillment soon which they have sought and wished for."