Slaying the Buddha

There is a famous statement in Buddhist literature: If you meet the Buddha on the path, slay him. It is a simple way of teaching that the Buddha is not a god, but an enlightened person. Enlightenment, or Nirvana, is the ideal end state of that journey - a form of discovered awareness. As such, it can only be realised in consciousness, and not obtained by prostrating/submitting oneself to a god figure. At best the teacher can point one in the right direction. At worst, over-reliance exposes the inherent inadequacies in the student, who may be doomed to have that wisdom he seeks forever elude him.

On a recent trip to Thailand, I saw monks fiddling with DSLR cameras in remote mountains and poring over laptop brochures in bustling cities. At resting rooms allocated for them in bus terminals, an uneasy tension fills the air and they appear reluctant to converse with one another. Perhaps the different sects do not see eye to eye? At Central World Plaza, there is a giant Buddha statue sited outside the even more gigantic mall, with watchmen urging passers-by to offer incense to the statue, citing luck beyond one's wildest dreams. Incidentally, the facade of the mall was decked out in the glitz and glamour of the material world, contrary to Buddha's message of living a life of simplicity. The outdoor area was also playing host to three extravagant beer promotion events. The last I remembered, Buddhism and beer was incompatible. This deviance between that which is taught and that which is practiced is all very amusing to me. I've reflected and formed opinions on my observations, but decided against penning them down, for fear of reprisal.