I started a discussion about Ven Punnaji a while ago, particularly talking about a quote of his: “the only difference between a rock and a Buddha is that a Buddha has metabolism and a rock does not” (paraphrase).
There is a quote out there (not from the EBTs) that goes essentially:
The difference between a Buddha and a rock
is that a Buddha has metabolism
and a rock does not have metabolism.
What do you think of the above quote?
I particularly like @karl_lew ’s input to the discussion, if anyone is so inclined to read the thread:
“Holding tight to the rock” is also a saying in Christianity. I think this is also appropriate for Buddhism. When reflecting on the Triple Gem Refuge, I imagine the stormy sea of transmigration, with the Buddha’s rock unmoving in its centre, unaffected by the waves crashing around it.
Yes. That is the anchor, the rock.
Oddly, the rock taught me to let go. When I started, I held tight and shut my eyes. Then the rock did nothing, so I opened one eye. Nothing happened. Then I opened the other eye. Metaphorically simple, that process took many years of letting go. Many years. So I let go, let be, let become and felt secure. Felt secure in my ephemeral existence. Secure in the vast comfort of the rock above, below, beneath.
And then the rock broke.
One day climbing I witnessed a rock fall that killed someone. A sharp crack, a roar, a cloud of dust. Gone the life. Gone the refuge. All gone. A blue sky day of death and change. On that day I learned the urgency of living here with commitment now, not later, not some day. Just now.
It’s always read like poetry to me, and I’ve remembered it since he posted it.
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