THE BUDDHIST ATTITUDE OF MIND

THE BUDDHIST ATTITUDE OF MIND

Among the founder of religions the Buddha was only teacher who did not claimto be other than a human
being, pure and simple. Other teachers were either God, or his incarnations in different forms, or inspiredby him. The Buddha was not only a human being; he claimed no inspirationfrim any god or external power either. He attribute all his realization, attainments and achievements to human endeavour
and intelligence. A man and only a man can becoming a Buddha, if he so wills it and endeavours. We can call the Buddha a man par excellence. He was so perfectin his " human-ness " that he came to be regarded later in popularreligion almost as " super-human ".

Man's position, according to Buddhism, is supreme. Man is his own master, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgment over his destiny.

" One is one's refuge, who else could be the refuge?" said the Buddha. He admonished his disciples to " be a refuge to themselves ", and never to seek refuge in or help from anybody else. he taught, encouraged and stimulated each person to develophimself and to work out his own emancipation, for man has the power to liberate himself from all bondagethrough his own personal effort and intelligence. The Buddha says: " You should do your work, for the one who has come to truth only teach that way." If the Buddha is to be called a " SAVIOUR " at all, it is only in the sense that he discovered and showed the Path to Liberation, Nirvana. But we must tread the Path ourselves.

It is on this principle of individual responsibility that the Buddha allows freedom to his disciples. The Buddha say that he never thought of controlling Sangha, nor did he want the Sangha to dependon him. He said that there was no esoteric doctrine in his teaching, nothing hidden in the " closed-fist of teacher", or to put it in other words, there never was anything " up his sleeve ".

The freedom of throught allowed by the Buddha is unheard of elsewhere in the history of religions. This Freedom is necessary because, according to the Buddha, man's emancipation depends on his own realization of Truth, and not on the benevolent grace of a god or any external power as a reward for his obedient good behaviour.