Q. What is the meaning of “If someone, seeing the Buddha, is not attached to him, he is one who truly knows the Buddha” from the Avatamsaka Sutra?

A. The core of Buddhism is not to worship and pray to the Buddha for happiness, or fortune, but to realise that we are none other than the Buddha. Trying to see any other Buddha than ourselves is to be deluded by the image of the Buddha, the illusion of the Buddha.

This scripture tells us not to be deluded by the illusion of the Buddha that is one of the strongest obstacles preventing us from realising that we are the Buddha. This is why ancient masters would say that we should kill the Buddha if we see him.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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