On Not Becoming a Buddha
When you meditate, when you practice mindfulness in daily life, don’t aim at becoming a Buddha: Just meditate to enjoy the peace of meditation. Just be mindful to enjoy being mindful.
When you eat your breakfast, eat it in such a way that you enjoy it. Enjoy the taste of your food, your surroundings, any people that are around you.
When you take a shower, take a shower in order to enjoy it—the warm water, the soap, drying yourself off.
The Buddha said he didn’t gain the least thing by becoming enlightened. Why?
Because enlightenment is letting go of any idea of gaining. It’s just coming into the present moment and appreciating the experience at hand.
So, don’t try to become a Buddha. Practice to enjoy the practice. Buddhist practice is really just n enjoyable way to live and to be fully alive.
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