Nirvana is not the Heaven. Nirvana is a state of mind. It means the destruction of greed, hatred and delusion in oneself. That also means the perfection of virtue, equanimity and wisdom; which will bring a more superior form of happiness to oneself; one cannot feel that kind of happiness if he/she only knows the theory but not really practicing abandonment of greed, hatred and delusion. One can reach the state of Nirvana in this very life by walking the Noble Eightfold Path; it is not an afterlife thing. One who has reached Nirvana is called an Arahant, the highest level Arya-hood. He/she will never be reborn again after this lifetime. The best existence is non-existence in terms of having eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind to take care of. After the breaking up of the body, an Arahant will not be reborn in either Heaven, human realm, ghost realm, animal realm, or Hell. The spokes of the wheel of rebirth are broken and the Arahant escapes the cycle of Samsara once and for all.
The Buddha is not someone to be worshiped by Buddhists. The Buddha is a state of mind in oneself. Gotama Buddha is also an Arahant; more than an Arahant if one wishes to be more precise. After reaching Parinirvana, he no longer exists in terms of having eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. He will not receive anything from the worship of Buddhists. One can never find the Buddha anywhere other than within his/her own mind. When one sees the Dharma, he/she sees the Buddha. If one doesn’t see the Dharma, he/she will not see the real Buddha. In Zen Buddhism, there is a popular saying: “When you see a demon, kill the demon. When you see Buddha, kill the Buddha. 见佛杀佛，见魔杀魔” The reason being: one can never see the real Buddha in the real world. Don’t be fooled by any individual who claims himself to be a Buddha. On the contrary, we can often “see” demons, the greatest of which is the Mara demon who keeps disturbing us and instigating us to boost our greed, hatred and delusion. It also instigates us to increase our sensual desires, self identification, views (about right vs. wrong and other issues), and clinging to rules and rituals. Buddhism spiritual practice is basically about fighting against Mara and other demons; thus, we should kill the demons (by abolishing greed, hatred and delusion) when we see them (within ourselves). We must always look inwards; focus our attention on the body, feeling, mind, and Dharma. Stop finding fault in other people or the outer world. We should also stop trying to find Buddha, including future Buddha. To cross the flood of suffering, we must not stand still and we must also not strive too hard. Too much desire to find Buddha within ourselves, or to reach Nirvana, will be counterproductive. We must choose the middle path. The Buddha will find us when we are ready.
Does the Buddha exist after Parinirvana? Does the Buddha not exist after Parinirvana? Does the Buddha both exist and not exist after Parinirvana? Does the Buddha neither exist nor not exist after Parinirvana? All the above views are incorrect. The existence of these views is because one perceives the world using his/her eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. The Buddha does not perceive the six sense organs as the real self; he has transcended the worldly views and not bound by those fetters. What or where is the real self of the Buddha? We may try to understand it as a totally different kind of “existence” as if he is being in another plane of “existence”. One cannot perceive the existence or non-existence of the Buddha using his/her six sense organs which have limited capability. Just as one cannot tell that he/she is inside a dream when he/she is dreaming. Only after one is awakened that one can realize he/she was inside a dream.
Is the Buddha statue in a monastery the correct depiction of him? Does the Buddha have hair on his head or was he bald? All the Buddha statues are only meant for certain purposes and must not be taken seriously (which will otherwise defeat the purposes of the Buddha statues). Always remember, “When you see a demon, kill the demon. When you see Buddha, kill the Buddha.” We are supposed to abandon greed, hatred and delusion for the happiness of ourselves. Wouldn’t it be foolish to feel unhappy upon contacting our six sense organs with the six sense objects? It would only show that one has no control over his/her body, feeling and mind.
What does the Buddha gain when we worship him? He gains nothing but all the gains come to us. We practice abandoning our ego when we sincerely bow down in front of the Buddha statue. We don’t have to do it, but we can choose to do it, for our own welfare. The Buddha statue is definitely not the real Buddha, but it can serve like a finger which points us to the right direction; just as the finger which points to the moon of which one must not mistake it as the moon itself. The suttas are also “fingers which point to the moon but not to be mistaken as the moon itself”. The real Dharma can only be experienced but not taught to us; the real Dharma is not the words written in the suttas. However, that doesn’t mean the suttas are dispensable. These are like boats which can carry us to cross the flood of suffering; but the boats should be abandoned or passed to someone else once we have reached the destination or Nirvana. Clinging to nothing, including the suttas, is the final goal.
A real monk would aim to reach Nirvana in this very life, regardless of whether he can actually attain Arahanthood. One is not a good disciple of the Buddha if he only wishes to remain a Bodhisattva, or he wishes to be reincarnated. Making vows has no effect whatsoever on oneself or others; it is the karma that counts. You reap what you sow. Greedy for high positions of monkhood in a monastery, or receiving a lot of contributions from Buddhist devotees, or building lavish monasteries in the name of doing good for the society, or being reborn in Heaven or as a special man, these are obviously not the real teaching of the Buddha. Whether one is a monk or a lay follower, he/she must practice abandoning greed, hatred and delusion for the happiness of oneself. A lay follower needs not aim to become an Arahant but he can become Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmi, or Anāgāmi. Fear, anger, grief, lamentation and despair are unnecessary and avoidable suffering. Radiating Metta or loving kindness, showing compassion for the misfortune of others, doesn’t mean we should share the feeling of others. When another person suffers, he/she does not take away our virtue, equanimity and wisdom; it is our doing to ourselves for losing our wholesome states. Empathy (or sharing the bad feelings of others) is not good advice.
RESILIENT KID 