Buddhist Quote by Kaiten Nukariya
““Buddhist as well as non-Buddhist religions regard, without exception, their founders as superhuman beings, but the practisers of Zen hold the Buddha as their predecessor, whose spiritual level they confidently aim to attain.””
About This Quote
Zen practitioners view the Buddha as a human predecessor whose spiritual level they strive to reach, unlike other religions that deify founders.
In simple terms: Zen sees Buddha as a human model to emulate.
Key Takeaway
Aim for the Buddha’s level of awareness.
Themes
spirituality
humility
aspiration
Mood
contemplative
serene
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- meditation practice
- ethical living
- mindfulness training
- spiritual study
Key Concepts
Zen Buddhism
comparative religion
Questions to Reflect On
- How does seeing the Buddha as human affect your practice?
- What steps can you take toward that level?
A Different Perspective
Human limits may make the goal seem unattainable.
![“The Sutra of the Arrival in Lanka says: In the future, those who cling to non-Buddhist thinking will conceive of the wisdom of the noble ones as existing as an object of personal experience and as having the nature of an entity… How could such notions operate in the noble ones? If such [notions]…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0fd/karl-brunnholzl-4600_personal-experience_the-sutra-of-the-arrival-in-lanka-says-i_1118222.jpg)
![“Rin-zai also says: "Spirit is formless, but it penetrates through the world in the ten directions."[FN#149] The Sixth Patriarch expresses the same idea more explicitly: "What creates the phenomena is Mind; what transcends all the phenomena is Buddha."[FN#150]” quote by Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d4e/kaiten-nukariya-793_spirit-formless_rin-zai-also-says-spirit-is-formless-but_13012.jpg)
![“it is the overcoming of egoism, the destroying of mean desires, the uplifting of the moral ideal, and the disclosing of inborn wisdom. [FN#12]” quote by Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ae/kaiten-nukariya-793_egoism_it-is-the-overcoming-of-egoism-the-destr_46308.jpg)
![“The fourth stage is called the Rank of Co-operative Merit,[FN#273] in which the student 'co-operates' with other persons in order to complete his merit. Now, he is not compared with a general who conquers his foe, but with the prime-minister who co-operates with other officials to the benefit of…” quote by Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4a6/kaiten-nukariya-793_quote_the-fourth-stage-is-called-the-rank-of-c_48041.jpg){kind=icon}
