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Keeping the Buddha Alive: Nourishing the Dharma Body and the Island Within
Buddha is not a god but a human being who, through practice, transformed his own suffering into understanding and love. At eighty his physical body (Nhục thân) passed away, yet his Dharma body—the living teaching—continues through the practice of his disciples and friends. Each of us who follows his way, cultivating love, compassion, insight, becomes a continuation of the Buddha, keeping his Dharma body alive.
There are two bodies of the Buddha:
- The physical body (lasted eighty years)
- The Dharma body, which lives as long as we practice and transmit the Dharma.
The living Dharma manifests in daily life—walking, sitting, eating, and in simple acts like a compassionate smile. We each possess a Dharma body that must be nourished by study and mindful practice, so it grows strong and solid, relieving our suffering and helping others.
When suffering overwhelms us, the Buddha’s core teaching is to “take refuge in the island within” (attadīpa saraṇa). By closing the six sense-doors—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind—and practicing mindful breathing or walking meditation, we return to our inner hermitage, lighting the fire of concentration to restore calm and safety. From this refuge we can reengage the world.
The practice unfolds in two intertwined steps:
- Mindfully recognizing and touching the conditions of happiness in the here and now.
- Embracing and looking deeply into our suffering to cultivate insight and compassion (smṛti, samādhi, prajñā).
Together, these awaken us to true freedom and enable us to help others transform their own suffering.
