Monday, September 29, 2008
Freedom from Doctrine
"The Buddha did not present an absolute doctrine. His teaching of non-self was offered in the context of his time. It was an instrument for meditation. But many Buddhists since then have gotten caught by the idea of non-self. They confuse the means and the end, the raft and the shore, the finger pointing to the moon and the moon. There is something more important than non-self. It is the freedom from the notions of both self and non-self. For a Buddhist to be attached to any doctrine, even a Buddhist one, is to betray the Buddha. It is not words or concepts that are important. What is important is our insight into the nature of reality. If the Buddha had been born into the society in which Jesus was born, I think he, too, would have been crucified." - Thich Nhat Hanh in Living Buddha, Living Christ