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From: simmonds@demon.siemens.com (Tom Simmonds)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: If you meet the Buddha...
Message-ID: <1991Jun5.164825.15440@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 5 Jun 91 16:48:25 GMT
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> sanjay@eng.umd.edu (Kumarasamy Sanjay)

> Would somebody explain me the statement
>  If you meet the Buddha, kill him
>thanx
>regards
>sanjay

To me, one key to this is in the Vajracchedika Sutra, in which Gautama Buddha
is quoted: "The Tathagata does not cling to the idea of an ego, a person,
a being, and a soul...We say there is the Tathagata, but in reality there
is no such thing to be known as the Tathagata.  Therefore, this is truly
the Tathagata."  [or something very close to that - I'm quoting from memory]
As I understand it, the literal translation of Tathagata, another name for
Buddha, is "Suchness Gate", from "tathata" (meaning "suchness") and "gata"
(meaning "gate").  There are similar passages in other sutras.

It means that we should not cling to the idea of some being or thing to be
known as Buddha.  If you have a thought, "This or that person or thing or
state is Buddha", you should discard (kill) the thought immediately.  The
Gate of Suchness consists of non-attachment to ideas.

--
 ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
  ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))tom simmonds))))))))))))))))))))
 ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
  ))))))) "True beauty consists in purity of heart." - Mahatma Gandhi ))))))))