A View of Man
How succinct, I mused, wishing all could hear what Bhante was saying. "Two more questions, Bhante, and then we must leave. First, what is the Buddhist view of man?" "Of course," Bhante responded, "in Buddhism the pride of place is given to man, because it is a man who becomes a Buddha. All can become Buddhas provided they cultivate the necessary qualities that go to make a Buddha. "So, Buddhahood is not the prerogative of a chosen few. The Buddha seed is in all men, so each man is like a box of matches. In a box of matches you cannot see the flame but you can, through friction, get the flame. Man works out his deliverance through effort, and bringing out the light. "Human beings can reach the highest or go down to the lowest. That is each man’s lookout. It is left to man to go up or down. There is no compulsion or coercion in Buddhism. It’s a free religion. Buddha gives the first charter of free inquiry in a special discourse, called the Kalama Sutra. Buddha says you have the right to inquire, to scrutinize, and to examine." |
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