Parable

Not long after Buddha became self-realized, he met a man on a road who was astonished by his peaceful and singular presence. The fellow asked if he was famous or a magician or even a god! Buddha answered "no" to each question. The man then asked, "Well, what are you?"

Buddha replied, "I am awake."

How marvelous that. He knew, of course, that the statement wasn't quite right. For this Living Reality is always up-front and in the very bow of your life. Indeed, you are It. Your body and brain are certainly there and functioning quite nicely, thank you. But with self-recognition, your thoughts, feelings, and physicality are almost secondary. For you see that you literally are being LIVED; that there is no "you" living a life.

But Buddha, I suspect, was simply using his answer as a cue, a guide. If we get too enraptured with the terminology, we'll overlook that beingness to which he was pointing. For after Buddha's reply, you'll notice that your thoughts are momentarily quieted. If you bring your bare attention to that silence, you can directly and immediately see that it is bottomless, exquisite, and clarity itself.