Gautama Buddha

• Gautama Buddha was not a god, but a man.

  Introduction to Buddhism and the Practice of Zazen

The most important texts

1. What did the Buddha discover? ●●●

   sitting in the posture of dhyana was in some way connected to his balanced state

   balanced posture of dhyāna · Buddha's awakening · Gautama and the drink of milk · original state of human nature · putting awakening into words · rediscovering the Buddha's truth · stars in the evening sky
2. The Buddha’s Discovery ●●● June 2005 — Lotus Centre

   He realized intuitively that this balanced posture was deeply connected with his simple realization about his life.

   balanced posture of dhyāna · Gautama and the drink of milk · retold life of Gautama Buddha · stars in the evening sky

Other texts

3. Why We Practice Zazen ●●● August 1987 — Gudo Wafu Nishijima

   the motivation which made Gautama Buddha become a priest was the contradictory situation between his spiritual attitude and his physical desire

   bird picking up an earthworm · spiritual attitude and physical desire
4. Western Buddhism and Hierarchy ●●● February 2009 — Cholín

   This happened soon after Gautama Buddha died, two thousand years ago. They made him into a god.

   Buddha made into a god · Buddha walking back into the forest
5. No Hierarchy of Enlightenment ●●● July 2009 — Dibbavana

   after eight years, the Buddha walked out of the forest, and then he sat down in the same posture

   Buddha leaving the forest · two Buddhas
6. Introduction to Master Dogen’s Thought ●●● May 1987 — Gudo Wafu Nishijima

   Reality is splendid, and we should follow reality. This recognition is his enlightenment

   enlightenment as recognizing reality
7. Zazen According to Sawaki ●●● Summer 2004 — Yoko Luetchford

   Human beings are created in the image of Gautama Buddha

   created in Gautama Buddha’s image
8. Uji 2: An Alternative to Linear Time ●●● Winter 2004 — Uji

   this girl handed him a drink of milk which he drank and he felt the milk was real

   Gautama and the drink of milk
9. Sadness Is a Change in Balance ●●● August 2011 — Dibbavana

   Be a light to yourselves sounds very spiritual and profound. But it means solve your own problem.

   be a light unto yourself
10. Recognising the Marrow in Ourselves ●●● May 2012 — Nová Dedinka

    So he left the forest and sat under a tree and recognised that the truth is in himself, and in the whole of the universe.

    Buddha leaving the forest
11. Prajñā: The State Before Thinking ●●● May 2014 — Banský Studenec

    it describes a sesshin that Gautama Buddha held on Vulture Peak with lots of Buddhist people

    sesshin on Vulture Peak
12. Civilisation as a Shared Trance ●●● July 2021 — Skalní fara

    We don't know exactly, but he left the forest. Maybe he was fed up.

    Buddha leaving the forest
13. Three Philosophies and One Reality ●●●

    when Gautama Buddha was asked by his disciples whether there was a beginning to this world, he did not answer. He just smiled.

    Buddha's silence on metaphysical questions
14. Understanding the Shobogenzo ●●●

    Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment didn’t mean that he entered some special state, but just that he saw clearly for the first time the reality

    enlightenment as recognizing reality
15. Introduction to Buddhism and the Practice of Zazen ●●●

    Gautama Buddha was not a god, but a man.

    Buddha as a human being

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