Showing posts tagged Buddhas
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Buddhas see that delusions have many faults but they never see people as faulty, because they distinguish between people and their delusions. If someone is angry we think, “He is a bad and angry person,” while Buddhas think, “He is a suffering being afflicted with the inner disease of anger.” If a friend of ours were suffering from cancer we would not blame him for his physical disease, and in the same way, if someone is suffering from anger or attachment we should not blame him for the diseases of his mind.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - “Eight Steps to Happiness”
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In reality Buddhas and living beings are equally precious - Buddhas because they reveal the path to enlightenment, and living beings because they act as the objects of the virtuous minds that we need in order to attain enlightenment. Because their kindness in enabling us to attain our supreme goal, enlightenment, is equal, we should regard Buddhas and living beings as equally important and precious.
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - “Eight Steps to Happiness”
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(Source: fromashramstozen)

(Reblogged from self-assassin)

Wrathful Buddhas vs gods

Someone asked me why Buddhist temples have statues of people being trampled and “angry gods”. For some reason my iPhone won’t let me reply directly, so I’m making a general post and hoping they see it.

This is a very good question, and one that confuses and probably disturbs many people. First, I want to make the distinction between Buddhas and gods in Buddhism. Buddhas are fully enlightened beings who are no longer trapped in the cycle of Samsara and who have nothing but universal compassion for all sentient beings. Gods are not enlightened and are trapped in Samsara just like humans and animals; they generally don’t have other sentient beings’ best interests at heart, but their own. These statues of “angry gods” trampling “people” are actually Buddhas in wrathful form trampling worldly gods that symbolize all the delusions that keep us trapped in Samsara.

Wrathful Buddhas never harm sentient beings. They are fierce and utterly ruthless towards our delusions and they do everything they can to help us destroy our delusions so that we too can become bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the future. They are the removers of obstacles and thus, they are our best friends we could ever have.