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The Tathagata is Coming
We are the continuation of our father, our mother, our ancestors, and of the Buddha. However, the capacity for mindfulness, awakening, and happiness is not an energy transmitted from outside, but is something already available within us. The Buddha or the teacher are those who help us touch these sources of energy. All of us have the intention to search because we feel there is a lack. We have needs, but sometimes we do not know which are our true needs and which are artificial needs. Civilization creates for us artificial needs, the bonds that tie us and make us lose our freedom, leaving us without the opportunity to seek and fulfill the deepest needs of our life.
People nowadays think of three great needs:
- Health
- Human relationships
- Success
However, whether we succeed or not, in 50 or 60 years we will also die. Therefore, what we are searching for does not lie within these three categories. There is a deeper concern, called the ultimate concern. That is the need for great understanding (maha-prajna) and great love (maha-karuna), which help us transcend ordinary needs. To seek the ultimate, we can begin with the path of the gate of faith (tín môn), through practices such as reciting the name, visualizing the image, calligraphy (writing), music, dance, and mindful breathing.
However, the Diamond Sutra teaches: “If one seeks me through form or seeks me through sound, that person practices a wrong path and will not be able to see the Tathagata.” If we look for the Buddha through form and sound, we will never see the Tathagata. Therefore, we may begin with form and sound, but we must go further to transcend them. Ultimately, we must find the Blessed One within ourselves, moving from the path of faith (tín môn) to the path of insight (quán môn).