Finding Buddha

[den...@osu.edu]

This may seem like a stupid question or be a long ways off, but I
figure I would throw it out there to try to understand Indian
Philosophy. I realize that the Buddha is not a specific thing. That
you can not just study up on it and as a result find Buddha. I
understand that in our to find Buddha that you have to practice. What
I do not understand is what is meant by practice and personal
experiences. Are these personal experiences the Eightfold Paths? Do
you have to accomplish the Eightfold paths and then you find Buddha?

Also, I thought that I remember hearing something like you can see the
Buddha before you die. If this idea is correct, how does one know
that they have seen the Buddha?

[jacobs.598]

What I took from this lecture in class is that to 'find buddha', you
have to follow the Eightfold Path. Two of the noble truths state that
life is permeated with dukkha (unsatisfactions) which is caused by
trishna (craving desire). To experience nirvana (extinction), like
buddha did in the story, you must follow the eightfold path. By
following the Eightfold Path, your identify your habits that lead to
trishna (craving desire), which allows you to eliminate them.

In the story at the beginning of this lecture, the first two brothers
have not experienced nirvana, because they are still experiencing
trishna. The third brother (Buddha) has been awakened and understands
that the reality of the situation is that he is going to die, and is
not afraid of dying like his brothers are. As proof that he has
experienced nirvana, he sacrifices himself to the tiger so that she
and her cubs can live.

As for the other two questions, I would like to know the answers
myself.

[Nicholaos Jones]

Practice = things you do, such as meditating or being mindful. You
must do these things in order to attain nirvana. (Although, when we
come to Chinese Buddhism, we'll see that maybe you don't need to do
these things at all.)

By personal experience is meant an experience that you have. The
eightfold path is not a personal experience -- it is a list of
recommendations for how to behave. Changing how you behave can lead
to your having different personal experiences. You need to have a
personal experience of nirvana in order to "find Buddha" (as you put
it), and the way to have this sort of experience is to follow the
recommendations given by the eightfold path.

"seeing the Buddha before you die" means something like "you can
attain nirvana before you die". How do you know whether you have
attained nirvana? That's a good question -- we'll discuss it when we
talk about Zen.

[den...@osu.edu]

So is what you are saying is that you know that you have completed the
eightfold path when you have had a personal experience of nirvana?
You having a personal experience confirms the fact that you have
changed to a better person and becoming a better person means that you
have experienced nirvana and found Buddha.

[Nicholaos Jones]

Buddhism is a bit more subtle than I could discuss in lectures. You
can only act in accordance with the way set out in the Eightfold Path
when you have attained nirvana. Before that, you are trying to act in
the right way but, due to your various attachments and craving
desires, you fail to do so. When you attain nirvana, you have removed
all bad habits of mind, all incorrect speech and action, all craving
desires and attachments. If you want to call that being a better
person, then yes -- being a better person means you've attained
nirvana.