Buddhism: The Religion Of No-Religion

Buddhism: A Non-Religious Religion The religion of the Buddha is not  a religion in the conventional sense because it lacks a system of  faith, dogmas, and sacred texts. It does not believe in God,  souls, or any kind of heaven. It does not require faith,  yet it remains a religion.

This is a unique phenomenon in the  history of human consciousness. No One Can Compare to the Buddha. He said that God is merely a search for  consolation, safety, a refuge.

You believe in God not because there is a God, but because  you feel vulnerable without that belief. Even if there were no God, you would invent one.  That belief stems from your own weakness.

It Is a Projection! Humanity feels limited, powerless, as though  victims of circumstance, because they do not know where they come from, where they are  going, and why they are here. Without God, it is difficult for ordinary people to find  meaning in life; they would become chaotic in the absence of God.

God is the crutch that supports,  comforts, and protects you. They tell themselves: "Don't worry. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and  knows why you are here.

He is the creator. He knows why He created the world. You might not  know, but He does, so you can trust in Him.

" That gives you peace of mind. Just the idea of God is enough to reassure you—that you are not alone, that you are cared  for, that this universe is not born of chaos, but everything is in orderly arrangement. The  lord of the universe has arranged everything, and not a single hair falls from  your head without His divine will.

Everything is planned. You are part of a grand  scheme. You might not understand its meaning, but there must be a meaning because God exists.

God helps you live joyfully. You can  believe that life is not accidental, that there is a purpose, some ultimate  goal. God helps you feel secure.

But the Buddha said there is no God; that is  the proof you don’t know why you are here; it speaks to your helplessness.  It proves there is no meaning. The idea of God was created to help us  endure this futile life.

Imagine you are on a plane and someone says: "There is no pilot. " Suddenly everyone panics. No pilot?

! If there is no  pilot, you are doomed. Then someone says, "This plane doesn’t need a pilot because it is  controlled remotely, otherwise how could it fly?

Since everything operates so smoothly, there  must be a pilot. Maybe we can’t see the pilot, maybe we are not graced to see, but still,  the notion that there is no pilot is false. Those deceiving you are not your friends, but your  enemies.

Because you are nurtured by falsehood, your life is full of falsehoods. You must live in  the atmosphere of truth, no matter how difficult, no matter how bitter it may be. Even if  persecuted for the truth, it is worth it.

" Chapter 1: Be More Aware. Be  More Awake. Be More Courageous!

The Buddha stated that the religions of humans  are human creations. You are governed by external circumstances. You need to accept the truth  at all costs without trying to cover it up, polish it, or distort it to suit your  preferences.

If it disturbs or disrupts you, be ready to face the consequences. If it  wounds your ego, be prepared to die from that wound. If you are destroyed by  the truth, be ready to be destroyed.

The Buddha was dispassionate, yet he  opened an immensely profound door that no one else has succeeded in doing.  He allowed no room for your ambitions. He said: "Be more aware.

Be  more awake. Be more courageous. " Do not hide behind any beliefs, doctrines, or  theories.

Take responsibility for yourself. Light the inner candle to see the true  nature of things clearly. And when you have the courage to accept the truth, you  are truly blessed.

This is the Buddha’s first teaching. He taught that all systems of  belief are harmful; all faiths are barriers. He was neither theistic nor atheistic because,  as he said, some believe in God, others do not, but both hold beliefs.

He didn't believe  in God, but he rejected the viewpoints of those who were atheistic. He said their  denial of God was like a mosquito biting an elephant’s foot. If you are immature,  you will find another idol to replace God.

What is History Then? For instance, Karl Marx declared there is no God, yet his history is filled with every conception  of God. Why need God?

God is the decisive element, the factor behind every phenomenon. God  decides what happens and what doesn't. Marx completely abandoned the idea of God, but  history became the deciding factor.

History became destiny. History controls everything.  What is history?

Marx claimed that Communism was a historical inevitability, and history  had decided that Communism would prevail, and all was arranged by history. Thus,  history became a sort of super-God. Some entity or element must decide.

Humans cannot  live with a direct reality. Humans cannot accept a reality that is chaotic and random. Humans cannot  live with reality without leaning on some idea to give it meaning, appropriateness,  and continuity so that the mind can understand, analyze, and discern cause and effect.

Freud completely abandoned the idea of God, yet  the unconscious became God; every human action was determined by the unconscious; humans were merely  puppets in the hands of the unconscious. These are the new labels for God. This is the modern myth. 

Freud's psychology is a new mythology about God. Old wine in a new bottle. The label has been  changed.

The old label has been removed, and a new coat of paint has been applied to deceive  the unwary. But if you analyze Freud's psychology closely, you will immediately realize that the  unconscious plays the role that God once did. Charles Darwin with his theory of evolution is  another example.

Darwin said there is no God, only natural selection, and only the  fittest survive. Darwin, Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche are considered pioneers of Modernism,  sometimes also referred to as Structuralism. Nietzsche did not propose a theory to replace God, but he demonstrated that God, truth, are  arbitrary ideas that change according to time and place (Louis Markos, From Plato  to Post-Modernism, The Teaching Company).

The person considered the father of Modernism  is Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist. He viewed language as a system where each  component is interrelated. He called the words in a language signs, and each sign has two  parts: 1) the sound, 2) the meaning or concept.

Saussure called the sound the Signifier and the  concept the Signified. So why need God? God had to be created to decide something.

. . history,  economy, the unconscious, natural selection.

Chapter 2: When Your Mind Is Still Immature If humans cannot be free, then changing myths or  doctrines is pointless. Whether it's Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism. .

. the differences  are only superficial. Your mind remains childish, immature.

You continuously seek the  image of a father figure or someone who can explain everything, who  can provide the ultimate answers. According to Jacques Derrida—the father of the  philosophical school of Deconstruction—Derrida argues that the entire Western Metaphysics,  from Plato to today, is a futile attempt to find a Logos, called the Transcendental  Signified, that could answer all human queries. But Derrida believes that each time we seek  a Signified, we discover it is just another Signifier pointing to another Signified, and  if we follow that trail to find that Signified, it turns out to be another Signifier. 

Thus, the meaning is always deferred, meaning there can never be one ultimate answer.  (For further reading, see: Louis Markos, Jim Powell, "Deconstruction for Beginners,"  Glenn Ward, "Teach Yourself Postmodernism"). The Buddha said, "I am not a metaphysician.

" A mature soul does not seek, whether  there are ultimate answers or not. That's why the Buddha said, "I am not a  metaphysician. " He had no Metaphysics.

Metaphysics means the ultimate answer  to all queries. He never said, "I have explained that mystery. " He never said,  "Here, I have revealed the truth to you.

" He said: "The only thing I can do is encourage  you, make you desire, help you become alert, aware, alive, so that you live your life fully  conscious, filled with light and wakefulness, to the point where all questions dissolve. " It’s not that you will find one ultimate answer to life - no one has done that. The  Buddha utterly rejected Metaphysics.

He said Metaphysics is just a futile search. The first  thing he denied was God. Then he denied heaven.

He said, "Your heaven is merely your  unfulfilled desires, your unachieved instincts, which you project onto an invisible  realm, onto an afterlife. " In this regard, he was absolutely right. If you were  to describe the heavens of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, you would understand why  he said so.

What is unfulfilled in this life, you project onto the next. But whether in this  life or the next, those desires are no different. ‘Dukkha’ - Who is Ever Satisfied in Life?

Indians talk about wish-fulfilling trees—called  ‘kalpavriksha’. If you sit under one, whatever you wish will happen immediately. The  West recently invented instant coffee.

India invented the wish-fulfilling tree thousands of  years ago, and everyone believed. Sit under it, and whatever you wish, you receive. Dram of  a fairy, she appears.

Want delicacies? They’re yours. Nothing is impossible.

Just a cursory  analysis shows how few are satisfied in life, and everyone spends their life trying  to fulfill their desires. Yet how many are content with what they achieve?  So, they project those desires into the future.

Desire by its very nature is  insatiable, whether now or in the future. The Buddha said, "The nature of desire is  to be unsatisfiable. ” No matter what you do, you will not be satisfied - that’s the intrinsic  nature of desire.

Desire cannot be fulfilled. Even sitting under a magical tree won’t satisfy  you. Often you satisfy the things you dream of, but then you dream of something else.

The  cycle just continues endlessly. The heavens of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism  are just projected desires, unfulfilled wishes, disappointed dreams. Of course, they  console many: "If not satisfied here, you will be in heaven.

Sooner or later you  will return to God. The only requirement is that you pray and believe in Him. Fear God,  then your reward later will be immense.

" The reward, of course, must wait until the  afterlife because the deceitful clergy can't fool you in this life. They know desires are  insatiable so they invented the afterlife. No one knows anything about the afterlife so it’s  very easy to be deceived.

If someone told you, "God will fulfill your desires  right now, right here," it would be hard to prove - because no  one has ever been satisfied right now, right here. Then God would be unmasked.  So they had to invent a very cunning plan.

They say: "It will happen after this life. . .

" Why can’t your omnipotent God satisfy your desires  right now? Why can’t your God create a magical tree right here on earth? Why can’t your God do  anything while people are still alive?

If He can’t do anything now, what guarantee is there that He  will be able to do something in the afterlife? Chapter 3: What Is Desire? The Buddha said, Look into the nature of desire. 

Observe the movement of desire because it is very subtle. Two things you will realize. One is that  desire by its very nature can never be satisfied.

And second, once you understand that desire  can never be satisfied, it will disappear, and you will no longer crave it. That is the  state of peace, stillness, and liberation. That is the state of satisfaction. 

Desire cannot be satisfied by more desire. It can only be satisfied  by transcending satisfaction. Desire is a golden opportunity to  understand the workings of the mind, how it operates along with its mechanisms. 

And when you understand that, there will be transformation. Desire will vanish without  a trace. And when there is no more desire, no more demands, you will be satisfied.

Not  that desire is satisfied, but when you transcend all desires, satisfaction naturally occurs. Desire changes with time and circumstances. - Religion says, 'Desire can be satisfied in heaven.

' - Capitalists say, 'Desire can be satisfied in this life. ' - Materialists say, 'Desire can be satisfied here. Just change the social structure, just overthrow  the capitalists so the proletariat can lead; the capitalists must be destroyed.

Then desires  will be satisfied here, heaven can be established right on this earth. ' - Capitalism says, 'You can be fulfilled if you strive hard. ' The West is currently doing this: 'Fight, snatch, win by any means.

Earn more wealth, more power. ' This is what politicians everywhere are doing. 'If you want happiness, the economy  must grow, productivity must increase.

' That's what scientists say; they  claim just a little more technology, and heaven will be established. - And what does your religion say? They say nothing different. 

They say, 'Desire can be satisfied, but not in this life, in the afterlife. ' That's a very minor difference between materialists and hypocrites. For the Buddha, both are materialists; and for me, both are also materialists.

The  hypocrites and the atheists are birds of a feather, there is no difference at all. Their  attitudes and approaches are exactly the same. - The Buddha said, 'Desire cannot be  satisfied.

' He is holy in that sense. You must understand the nature of desire. It  cannot be satisfied here or anywhere else.

That has not happened and cannot happen, because  it contradicts the very essence of desire. What is desire? Have you ever observed your  greedy mind?

Have you reflected on it? What Is Desire? You want to buy a house so you work hard  for it.

You sacrifice your whole life for it. Are you satisfied once you have the house?  Once you have it, suddenly you need many other things.

Then you want a bigger house. You want  to be loved, and when you are loved, you want someone else. That is the nature of desire.

It is  always ahead of you. Desire belongs to the future. Desire is a hope.

Desire can never be satisfied  because its nature is a projection into the future. It always lies just over the horizon that  you cannot chase; each time you move forward, it recedes, and the distance between it and you  does not change. When you have ten thousand, you will want twenty thousand.

When you have twenty  thousand, you will want forty thousand. The gap does not change. Regardless of what  you have, desire always hovers ahead.

- The Buddha said: 'Abandon  hope, eliminate desire. ' When there is no more hope and desire, you  are thrown back into the present. When you no longer desire anything, you will be satisfied,  because you are no longer deceived by desire.

So when the Buddha says there is no difference  between the hypocrites and the materialists. And he infuriated the Brahmins. They had never  been so enraged before.

They tried to eradicate his teaching in India, and they succeeded.  Buddhism emerged in India but vanished from India, because Hinduism is one of the most  materialistic religions in the world. Open the Vedas and you will see: prayers, rituals,  sacrifices, all asking, from one god to another.

Every ritual comes from desire. 'Grant us  more, even more. Give us a good harvest, favorable winds, successful work,  abundant health, a long life.

. . ' The Vedas are essentially just magnified  desires, and sometimes quite malevolent.

They contain not only supplications but  also curses towards enemies, such as: "May my cows be plentiful in milk, and may  that wretch's cows die or yield no milk. " What kind of religion is this? It's even absurd  to call it a religion.

If this is the righteous path, what then is the wrong one? Buddha  studied with many spiritual teachers while seeking enlightenment, but each time he left  empty-handed because he knew none understood the nature of desire. These same individuals  also harbored plenty of desires.

Of course, their desires were projected far  into the future, into the next life, but the object of desire was the same.  The only difference was the timeline. Some desired things in this life.

Others  desired things pertaining to the afterlife. But what's the difference? There is none. 

Their desires are the same. Desire is desire. Buddha studied with many spiritual teachers,  but each time he was disappointed.

He never met a truly holy person, only hypocrites. These  were people who tortured themselves: some fasted for months, others stood for years, some never  slept, and they became living skeletons. You wouldn't call them hypocrites or ordinary people. 

But if you looked into their minds and asked, "Why the fasting? Why the extreme effort? " They  would reply that it was to ascend to heaven, to reach paradise, to receive eternal rewards  after death.

That is desire. They all spoke alike, "Everything is impermanent. This life  is just an illusion.

Whatever you gain, eventually death takes it all. So why strive? This life will not last forever.

Therefore,  we seek what is eternal, immortal; we want absolute satisfaction. Only fools seek glory  and riches in this life because, in the end, you end up with nothing. You work hard but  what can you take with you when you die?

We seek a treasure that we can take with us, which  will not perish, that even death cannot steal. " Would you call these people holy?  They seem worse than ordinary people; they are more materialistic than the materialists. 

Of course, they cleverly disguise their greed; their greed appears transcendent, but  it's very deceitful. It's like sticking flowers on a pile of dung. The dung is still  dung.

The flowers only deceive the foolish. The Buddha Was Not Deceived. He Saw Everything.

He saw their greed. If you still have desires, you are mundane and materialistic. Thus, he did not teach about heaven.

He did not believe in any heaven. Not that he did  not believe in bliss, no. He believed in bliss, but it is not a belief.

When all heavens  are gone, when all desires have vanished, bliss bursts forth from the deepest core of your  being. It demands nothing. No need for virtues, no need for asceticism, no need for  offerings.

Just understanding is enough. Chapter 4: The Issue: Soul, God, and Self The third aspect is that the Buddha did not  believe in the soul, did not believe in God, did not believe in heaven. This seems  challenging.

We might accept there is no God since no one has ever seen Him; it's  quite possible that He is just a projection. We might also accept there is no heaven, as it  could merely be an unfulfilled desire of ours. - But no soul?

Then there’s  nothing for you to cling to. - No soul? - Then what is the purpose of human life?

If there is no soul, if  death is the end, then all effort is in vain. - What's the point of  meditation? What use is prayer?

The Buddha stated that the idea of the self,  of the soul, has been misunderstood. You exist, but you do not have a self. You exist but are  not separate from the universe.

Separation forms the basis of the self concept. If  I am separate from you, I have a self. If you are separate from me, you have a soul.

The Buddha said: existence is one; there are no boundaries. No one is separate from another.  We live in an ocean of consciousness.

We are one consciousness but are deluded by the separation  of our bodies, deceived by the boundaries of our minds. And because of the body and the mind,  and because of the identification with the body and the mind, we think we are separate, we think  we have individual 'selves'. The ego thus exists.

For instance, look at a map; you will see  America, but on the ground, there is no America—it’s only on the maps of politicians. On a  map, North America and South America are separate, but deep below the ocean, there's only  one Earth. All continents are connected; they are just one Earth.

We are only  separate on the surface. The deeper you go, the more the separation fades. When you reach  the core of your being, suddenly it becomes universal—there is no self, no soul.

The Buddha Was a Realist! The Buddha had no beliefs about God, the  soul, or paradises. What then did he teach?

He taught a way of life, not a belief system. His  method was very scientific, based on experience, on practicality. He was not a philosopher, not a  metaphysician.

He was a realist. The Buddha said, "You can change your life without needing to  rely on beliefs. " Indeed, those beliefs are obstacles to change.

The first step is to abandon  beliefs, metaphysics, doctrines. Start from zero, with no philosophy, no ideology. Start with  emptiness.

That's the only way to reach the truth. I have heard: A traveler opened a Bible placed by the Gideons in a hotel room.  On the first page was printed, "If you are sick, read Psalm 18.

If your family is in discord,  read Psalm 45. If you feel alone, read Psalm 92. " The person felt lonely and so opened to Psalm  92 and read.

After finishing, they saw below, "If you still feel lonely, please call 888-1234  and ask to speak to Nani. If you read your holy book carefully, you'll find the footnotes  more intriguing. Sometimes they are not clear, but if you pay attention, you will find – the  appropriate footnote.

The Buddha said all your scriptures are just desires, instincts, greed,  lust, anger of yours. They are just creations of your mind, so they must bear the traces  of the mind. Scriptures are man-made.

Hence all religions try to prove that their  scripture is not a product of man. Christians say God authored the Bible; the  Ten Commandments were directly given to Moses by God; the New Testament is the direct  message of the Son, the only son of God. It is not man-made.

It was divinely revealed.  Hindus also say the Vedas are not a product of man. And the story repeats: Muslims say  the Koran was read to Mohammed by God.

Why do all religions say their scripture is from  God, but those of other religions are not? Muslims do not accept the Vedas as from  God. Hindus do not accept the Koran.

Why is that? Because they know anything man-made  will bear the marks of the mind, of desires. Buddha taught that all scriptures  are man-made.

He wasn't a fanatic, nor did he identify with any nationality, race,  religion, or group. He was simply a beacon of his own light, and his teachings  were the purest messages of truth. Here’s a story a friend once shared  with me: During a period of holy war, followers in Ireland asked their religious leader  to select a site for his future tomb, as he might be killed at any moment.

Three locations were  proposed, and he chose the least expensive one, against the council's preference. When asked  why he chose such a modest place rather than the two picturesque locations, he replied,  "Dear friends, I appreciate your generosity, but I will not lie there for more than three  days. So why waste it?

" The implication here is akin to the Christian belief that Christ  died and resurrected after three days; he insinuated he had the same divine power. Such  outlandish notions have no place with Buddha, who would hesitate just as Laozi would. Only  these two figures are known for their reluctance.

Sometimes, their hesitation may not leave a strong  impression on you. In a world full of confusion, you might seek someone with absolute confidence  for reassurance. Hence, fanatics, who may have little to say but pound the table emphatically,  and shout loudly, seem knowledgeable.

They're so certain that they create a feeling of certainty,  which is what many troubled people desperately need. Meeting a Buddha might not capture your  attention as he doesn't make loud proclamations or display certainty because he knows more  profoundly than anyone that life cannot be summarized in simple statements. No statement can  wholly encapsulate truth; everything is relative.

Buddha and Mahavira, the two most renowned sages  of India, deeply understood the law of relativity, something Einstein only discovered in modern  times and introduced to science. Science used to be certain in a dogmatic, absolute  way. With relativity, science has become more humble and honest.

(Classical physics  suggested that knowing initial conditions could predict the universe's state at any time.  Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle countered that it’s impossible to know both the  position and velocity of a particle at the same time—if you know one, you  can't accurately know the other. ) "The More Ignorant, The More Dogmatic.

" In India, Buddha and Mahavira introduced  the concept of relativity to religion, stating that truth cannot be fully expressed,  that absolute declarations are impossible, and at best, we can only hint at it. Any  direct pointing is impossible because of the immense and expansive nature of truth.  Hence, a truly enlightened person must naturally hesitate.

This hesitation  is a sign of profound awareness. Unfortunately, the more ignorant are often the  most dogmatic. This is one of humanity's sad truths.

The foolish are certain, while the  wise hesitate. To truly understand Buddha, you must be alert and open to his teachings.  He doesn't present truth on a grand scale but offers guidance and suggestions, and even this  is challenging enough.

I've mentioned before, Buddha is practical. He seldom discusses  metaphysical issues and approaches matters directly and simply. Sometimes his words  may not seem profound, but if understood, they are incredibly profound.

He doesn't beat  around the bush or make grandiose statements. I heard about a young woman, just in her twenties, engaged to a rising star at a famous company.  Everyone thought they were a perfect match.

But the real problem was in their intimate  life. Before their honeymoon even started, she complained to her friends, "He's a marketing  expert, so every night he sits by the bed talking about how wonderful it's going to be! " But it never happens.

Buddha doesn’t need to prepare or advertise what he's about to say.  He speaks what needs to be said and moves on. He says, "Drven by selfish desires, people  pursue fame and wealth, but ultimately, they waste years.

If you're engrossed in  worldly fame and forget the spiritual path, you've gone astray, wasting your  efforts uselessly. It’s like incense; no matter how fragrant, it will  be consumed by its own fire. " A simple and practical teaching: Drven by selfish  desires, people chase after fame and wealth.

In common language, a desire is considered  selfish if it harms others, and you don't care about them. Even if it harms others, you do  everything to satisfy that desire. You are said to be selfish if you only care about yourself. 

But when Buddha speaks of selfish desires, he means if a desire is based on the notion of  a soul, it's selfish. For example, if you donate millions to build hospitals, schools, or provide  food and medicine to the poor, no one would call you selfish. But Buddha would say it's selfish—if  motivated by the soul.

If you think giving so much money will earn you merit and heavenly rewards,  that's a selfish desire. It harms no one, and in fact, you are appreciated by everyone.  You are seen as a philanthropist, a virtuous, holy, compassionate person.

But Buddha would judge  whether a desire is selfish based on its motive. If you give without any motive, it's not selfish.  If there's a motive behind it, whether you're conscious of it or not, that you'll be rewarded  in this life or the next, it's selfish.

Anything driven by the ego is selfish. If you meditate to  achieve enlightenment, that's a selfish desire. Buddha often told his disciples:  Whenever you meditate, after meditating, give back what you've received, return  it to the universe.

If you feel blissful, direct it towards the universe and don't  keep it as a treasure. If you feel happy, share it immediately. Don't cling to it, or else  your meditation is just an act of the ego.

The ultimate goal of meditation is to discard the ego,  the self—that is the disappearance of the self. Buddha said, "Drven by selfish desires,  people chase after fame and wealth. But once they achieve it, they have wasted many  years.

You might have fame, renown, power, and be respected by everyone.  But what are you really doing? Are you aware of your actions?

You've missed  the opportunity to chase after utterly futile things. You're collecting garbage, wasting time  and energy. " He said, "If you're engrossed in worldly fame and forget the spiritual path,  you've gone astray.

" He calls his path "the way. " Chapter 5: There is No Death! The Buddha taught not to worry about the outcome, for it will happen on its own.

All you  need to do is follow the path that unfolds; you don’t even need a reason to seek the  outcome, as the joy found in meditation, prayer, and giving is enough. You practice the path  simply because you enjoy it, not for any merit, and you shouldn’t turn it into a commercial  exchange. Time flies like an arrow.

Each moment that passes will never return. The Buddha  said: Do not waste time on foolish pursuits. Fame is foolish, meaningless.

Even if the whole  world knows you, it won’t make you richer. How could it make you happier? How could it make you  smarter, more aware, more vigilant, more alive?

Since you do not cultivate your character, he  said, you have strayed, and you waste your efforts in vain. It’s like burning incense. No matter how  fragrant, it will be consumed by its own fire.

Life is like that—every minute that passes is  burnt away. You are always on the funeral pyre, because with every moment, death comes closer,  and with every minute you become less alive. Therefore, before this opportunity passes, the Buddha said, reach the state of  no-self.

Then there will be no death; there will be no suffering. If so, you  will not need fame, power, or reputation. In fact, the more empty you are  inside, the more you chase after fame, because it helps you fill that void.

The more  you lack within, the more you pursue wealth, because it helps you forget that poverty. I often see that when people lack love, they eat like pigs. Whenever they argue with  a loved one, whenever they are not loved, or cannot love, they eat all day, not knowing  whether the food tastes good or not.

Why is that? Why do they need to eat? Because they  feel lonely, and that emptiness frightens them.

If you are happy within, you won’t care  about fame. Only the unhappy seek glory. If you know who you are, why does it  matter if others know you?

But if you do not know who you are, you will  want others to recognize you. You will collect opinions from others, what  they think about you. And from those opinions, you create an image: "Yes, that’s me.

People  say I’m smart, so I must be smart. " You’re not quite sure. But if you truly knew,  why would you depend on others’ opinions?

When you look into others' eyes, you see your own  reflection. You do not see yourself. So you beg, "Tell me who I am.

Tell me I am beautiful, that  I am charming, that I am graceful. " Do you see your begging? "Talk about my body, my mind,  my understanding.

Please give me a few words! " You will grasp at others' opinions. If the  opinion is not good, you will get angry.

That person tarnishes your beautiful image if they  think poorly of you. If the opinion is good, that person enhances that image, and you feel even more  pleased. You rejoice when someone applauds.

Why? Because you do not know who you are, you  must search. You ask others, "Who am I?

Tell me. " So you rely on others. Ironically,  they do not know who they are either.

Beggars seeking from one another. They also seek  you for validation. It’s a mutual deception.

A man meets a woman and says, "You are so  beautiful! So charming! " And she responds, "I have never met anyone as handsome as you.

"  That is mutual deception. They might call it love, but it’s just mutual deceit. Both want a certain  quality, and both satisfy each other.

Everything is fine until one of them tires and does not  want to play the deceitful game anymore. Then the honeymoon is over. .

. and they talk about marriage.  Then, the harmony dissipates.

The husband thinks, "I was under a spell, bewitched. " The wife  thinks, "I was deceived by him. " No one deceives you except when you are ready to be deceived. 

No one deceives anyone if they are not ready, waiting to be deceived. You cannot deceive someone  who knows who they are. They will laugh at your opinion.

They will say, "Do not waste time  unnecessarily. I already know who I am. Say what you want, but please do not worry about me.

I  know who I am. " When the inner self is fulfilled, you will not chase after luxuries, nor pursue  power. Psychologists observe that when people feel powerless, they seek symbols of desire  to compensate.

When feeling powerless, one might want a beautiful car to compensate  for that loss. He wants the best car on earth; his potency has waned, so he replaces it with  something else. He feels exhilarated as the car speeds, as if in the arms of a lover.

Speed  gives him power. He identifies with the car. Psychologists have observed for years  that those with an inferiority complex always have great ambitions.

Indeed, no one  plunges into politics unless they are full of complexes. Politicians are typically  people with complexes. They want to prove their superiority because they cannot live with  the feeling of inferiority.

What I am saying is, what you lack inside, you will gather  from the outside to compensate. If there is no lack within you, you will relax  in your bliss. Only then can you see your true beauty.

Only then can you truly know who you are. The Buddha said, "People cling blindly to material wealth and selfish desires, so much so that  they sacrifice their whole lives for them. They are like children trying to lick honey off  a knife blade.

The honey cannot satisfy them, but they can cut their tongues on the blade. " Your  desires cannot be satisfied in this realm. This is a world of illusions.

Nothing can fulfill you  because only reality can satisfy. Don't you see? When you dream, you may eat all you want from  the fridge.

Fortunately, it does not disturb your sleep; otherwise, hunger would keep you  awake. The dream compensates for what you lack and allows you to sleep. You think, "I am full  now.

" You have deceived your body. The dream is a deceiver. When you wake, you're still  hungry because a feast in a dream is as good as fasting.

A feast and fasting are the  same in dreams, for dreams are not real. They cannot truly satisfy. To quench thirst, you  need real water.

Only reality can truly satisfy. The Buddha said you always create opportunities to  harm yourself, but you cannot be truly fulfilled in this life. Occasionally, you might taste  a few sweet drops—sweet, yet dangerous and never satisfying.

And those drops of honey are  smeared on a knife's edge; you could easily cut your tongue. Look at the elderly: you will  see they are covered in scars; their beings are nothing but wounds and sores. When a person  dies, you see no smile on their face, only the decay of their injuries.

If someone has lived  not being deceived by dreams and false desires, growing older, they become more innocent. In  death, they are even more beautiful. Sometimes you meet an old person who looks more beautiful in old  age than when they were young.

Bow to them—they have lived a true life, a life full of inner  richness. Because if you live truly, as you age, you become more magnificent, and a radiant grace  surrounds you. An aura appears around you, and you become a temple of the eternal, the absolute. 

This is as it should be, for life is an evolution. If you age and become uglier, it  proves you have licked honey from many blades—you have been wounded often.  Old age becomes a dry, tedious affair, and few can close their eyes in peace,  because seldom do people really live.

If one truly lives—like a candle burning at  both ends—their death is a grand spectacle, a sublime beauty. You will see their life shine  brightest at death. In their final moments, they become a powerful flame.

The essence of  their being is concentrated in that moment; a light emanates from their essence. Before they  depart forever, they leave a mark on the world. This happened when the Buddha entered Nirvana.

It also occurred with Mahavira at his death. We cannot forget them, not because they wielded  power—they were nobodies in terms of historical impact—but we cannot forget them.  Historically, they did nothing.

We could erase them from history without any loss.  Indeed, they did not exist for written history; they stood alongside history, yet we  cannot forget them. In their final moments, they left a legacy for humanity.

Their ultimate  radiance showed us our own limitless potential. Conclusion: Seeing and Believing The Buddha repeatedly told his disciples, "Ehipassiko: come and see. " They were thinkers with a scientific mindset.

Buddhism is the most scientifically  compatible religion in the world. Therefore, as Buddhism grows in popularity, as  humanity becomes more enlightened, the Buddha becomes increasingly significant. It  must be so.

As more people understand science, he becomes more appealing to them because he  resonates with scientific minds. He often said, "What I teach can be practiced, and I do not say,  'Believe this,' but rather, 'Test what I say, experience it, do not just believe. ' Beyond that,  there is nothing that needs to be believed.