Sincere, Pure Vision

Sincere, Pure Vision

Swami Vivekananda waxes eloquent on Gautama Buddha’s inspirational guidance for universal brotherhood

Buddhism itself is the most interesting of subjects, for it is the first historical outburst of a world religion. There have been great religions before Buddhism arose, in India and elsewhere, but, more or less, they are confined within their own races… With Buddhism begins the phenomenon of religion boldly starting to venture out into the world. Apart from its doctrines, the truths it taught and the message it had to give, we stand face-to-face with one of the tremendous cataclysms of the world. Within a few centuries of its birth, the barefooted, shaven-headed missionaries of Buddha had spread all over the world, from Lapland on the one side to the Philippines Islands on the other...

When Buddha was born, he was so pure that whosoever looked at his face from a distance, immediately gave up the ceremonial religion and became a monk and became saved. So the gods held a meeting.

They said, "We are undone". Because most of the gods live upon ceremonials. These sacrifices go to the gods and these sacrifices were all gone. The gods were dying of hunger and the reason for it was that their power was gone. So the gods said: "We must, somehow, put this man down. He is too pure for our life." And then the gods came and said: "Sir, we come to ask you something. We want to make a great sacrifice and we mean to make a huge fire, and we have been seeking all over the world for a pure spot to light the fire and could not find it, and now we have found it. If you will lie down, on your breast we will make the huge fire." "Granted," he says, "go on."

And the gods built the fire high upon the breast of Buddha, and they thought he was dead, and he was not. And then they went about and said, "We are undone." And all the gods began to strike him. No good. They could not kill him. From underneath, the voice comes: "Why are you making all these vain attempts?" The gods say: "Whoever looks upon you becomes purified and is saved, and nobody is going to worship us." The Buddha replies: "Then, your attempt is in vain, because purity can never be killed." This fable was written by his enemies, and yet throughout the fable, the only blame that attaches to Buddha is that he was so great a teacher of purity…

Om Namah Shivay.