FOR 49 YEARS, THE BUDDHA USED EXPEDIENT MEANS TO SPREAD THE DHARMA, TEACHING THE ‘BLINDED’ MASSES TO OBSERVE THE TRUTH OF THE UNIVERSE
Master Jun Hong Lu: We can draw parallels between Shakyamuni Buddha observing the universe and a person with normal vision observing an elephant, while the approach taken by the science field is analogous to “a group of blind feeling an elephant” (mistaking the parts for the whole).
The realm of science is by no means capable of bringing out and portraying the fullness and the true nature of an elephant. This explains why the Buddha teaches us to ‘seek an understanding of the true nature of things and worry not about the inconsequential details’.
For some 49 years, the Buddha propagated the dharma using expedient means. He was both forthright and ingenious at applying a myriad of wondrous oratory methods in delivering His teachings. Technical aspects like the lengths of the elephant’s nose and tail were not what He wanted us to know. It was just a figure of speech to prompt the ‘blinded’ ones like us to open our eyes to see this world.
Some 2,500 years ago, the Buddha already saw planet earth and painted it as a round-shaped Amalaka fruit and this fact was only validated by scientists two millennia later.
He also revealed that there are eighty-four thousand lives that take the form of microorganisms in a bowl of water. Thanks to the invention of the microscope because without which, humanity would not have known what bacteria are till this very day!
Scientific laws are formulated in a specific time and space. While Buddhist practitioners should be sensible of the existence of a specific order of the universe, they should also understand that as humans, we can make use of our own mind to design the life we want.
Be diligent and steadfast in your practice. If you do so, you will surely attain Buddhahood in the human realm, and be assured of returning to the embrace of the Buddha in heaven.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting, Singapore, 23 April 2016
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