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Dear Ones, The Buddha, the "Awaken One” once said: All living beings have the Buddha nature, that which is wise, pure, stable and loving unconditionally. This nature is what makes for every fiber of our original self, even before conception. The Buddha was an embodiment of all great virtues. In Him were the highest morality -Sila, deep concentration- Samadhi, penetrative wisdom- Panna- qualities. Deserving of awe and veneration, “Blessed One" is His name. He was the happiest and most fortunate amongst mankind, having conquered all evils, expounding the highest Dharma and being endowed with supernormal and superhuman intellectual faculties. The Buddha was the first one to be “awaken” and to shake off the state of stupor. Subsequently, He convinced others, through His great compassion to do the same showing the Path that will lead oneself to liberation. The path is to be taken on by each and walk it, step by step. Towards the end of His life at the age of eighty, when His body was weak and frail, Ananda, his closest disciple felt that He should give a final teaching to the Sangha and all who had traveled to see Him last; what Buddha said is an amazing, wise teaching: "Be the Dharma". - Appo deepo bhava! The word deepo was interpreted in three ways, light, lamp or island. Here are His words: "Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge: with the Dharma as your island, the Dharma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge." He said the way to do this is mindfulness, and that when desire and sorrow is overcome, the bhikku will attain the highest, by being an island unto himself, being a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge- these three in-sourced as against out-sourced so to speak, in just one thing- Dharma! The capacity to Awaken lies with each of us in each moment, regardless of the presence of fortunate circumstances. The Buddha was reminding Ananda and the members of the Sangha and all of us to this day, of our Buddha nature.
“ Be a light unto yourself.”
-Su Co Bao Co
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