On Buddha And Becoming Enlightened
If the story of the Buddha
Is to be believed,
Then what can be said
That is True?
That Buddha attained
A thing called Enlightenment.
The ascetics way
Could not enlighten the Buddha,
Despite his magnificent efforts.
And the Buddha’s way
Cannot enlighten anyone else,
Despite anyone’s magnificent efforts.
Understand this:
The reason that the ascetics
Did not become Enlightened,
And Buddha did,
Is because the ascetics had a Way,
While the Buddha did not.
One may wish
To read that again.
Can one reach something
Without a way?
The loftier the goal,
The more a Way
Will get in the way.
This is something
That will not be understood.
Is it possible to teach a man
To become a Buddha?
Yes.
But how can a man be taught
Without a way?
Therein
Lies the Art.
If it is true
That Buddha wrote
The four noble truths
And the eightfold path
In order to enlighten human beings,
Or to help them in any way . . .
Then either,
The Buddha did not truly wish to help,
Or he simply made a mistake.
It is difficult to imagine
That a man who has realized
The Truth
Can err . . .
But there are some things
That are so deep within
The human framework,
That even a Buddha is susceptible to them.
One of them
Is the idea of “help.”
Understand this:
Raw Truth.
Radical uncompromise.
And crystallized Purity . . .
Are perhaps rare
Even in the domain of the Gods.
It takes far more of a Buddhahood
Not to help,
Than to help.
It takes far more of a Buddhahood
Not to teach,
Than to teach.
Not for its own sake.
And not as a matter of principle.
But because
The conditions
Are not ripe.
Does rain ever fall
When there are no clouds?
All that is present in this world
Is filler.
Because it is an attempt
To “help,”
To those who either ask not for it,
Or are not ready to receive it.
Not as a matter of principle.
But because it is wasteful
And ineffective.
Let a man beg.
Let his heart bleed through his sternum.
Let his cheeks wrinkle under the flood of tears.
Let him be willing to give Anything
At the mere asking . . .
Then,
The conditions
Are ripe.
Then,
The rain
May fall.
Namaste.
Kapil Gupta is a personal advisor to Kings, Queens, CEO’s, Professional Athletes, Celebrities, and Performing Artists around the world.
His books include:
Atmamun: The Path To Achieving The Bliss Of The Himalayan Swamis. And The Freedom Of A Living God
A Master’s Secret Whispers: For those who abhor the noise and seek The Truth about life and living
Direct Truth: Uncompromising, non-prescriptive truths to the enduring questions of life