Buddha's Last Words

Philosophy Forums Religion and Spirituality
1

'But now I have seen you, maker of this house; never more will you build again. All the rafters are broken and the ridge-pole destroyed. The fever of life is gone and all desires are past, for my mind has reached the eternal Nirvana."

“Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”

Then the Buddha lapsed into the jhana stages, or meditative absorptions. Going from level to level, one after the other, ever deeper and deeper. Then he came out of the meditative absorption for the last time and passed into nirvana, leaving nothing whatever behind that can cause rebirth again in this or any other world.

Then the Blessed One, emerging from the cessation of perception & feeling, entered the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. Emerging from that, he entered the dimension of nothingness… the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness… the dimension of the infinitude of space… the fourth jhana… the third… the second… the first jhana. Emerging from the first jhana he entered the second… the third… the fourth jhana. Emerging from the fourth jhana, he immediately was totally Unbound. — DN 16

Smiling at us from the grave, do we know that Buddha actually attained non-existence?

I mean, they say his life was “complete” he can rest easy that he left his teachings and disciples in the world. But look at the world. Jesus failed, and Buddha failed, in fact the world is worse today than when they left it. Now China is some stupid dictatorship that even polices religion. Next thing is mind-control. How can Buddha rest easy, knowing about the parasite of the human race still lingering in the galaxy?

Now let as assume that he did rest easy, that he did infact reach Nirvana and had no ego no lust no attachments no desires when he passed.
How do we know that this alone is enough not to rebirth? Many buddhists say there are still incarnations of Buddha, but perhaps what they mean is they have the personality of Buddha but a different sentience. Still though, what scientific way is there of knowing that Buddha did not reincarnate? What spiritual way of sensing Buddha did not reincarnate? Can it be verified scientifically? Can it be verified spiritually?

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Does a teacher truly love all their students or do they truly love what they teach and love teaching.
Does a parent truly love their children so that they must teach their children or do they just love being a parental figure?

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No to both accounts, unless they are the female teachers who have relationships with their students. Then society crucifies them simply for putting a smile on a grown teenage boy’s face. Society hates love, and loves only obedience.
Parents are not real love, kids are extensions of their own ego. They only love you if you do what they say, and become the personalities they want you to be, they could care less about what you want. They could care less about your happiness unless it benefits them.

My question is what does both my post and your post have to do with the original post?

4

Wow your childhood must have sucked, my condolences.
You focused only on the part of my post that hit you hard emotionally, you completely bypassed the rest. You also failed to see the intent and meanings due to your emotional baggage.
Buddha and Jesus both are viewed as either teacher or parent, how did they view themselves? Their connection to the followers is pertinent to your OP. Surely with a bit of clear thought you can see this.

5

I am not in the habit of playing meaning-making games or in the habit of trying to guess what your personal connections to the number 23 are. If you want to make a game of it, I suggest bolding and italacizing keywords, to indicate we are on a treasure hunt of sorts.

I was aware you might have been referring to them. I do not cover every point that “might” have been.
You also like to guess I am talking about my own childhood, and my own teachers. Most people’s childhoods do “suck” as children are cruel, then they grow into adults who are actually more cruel but like to say they are evolved. Well evolution is survival of the meanest and in that sense, they are absolutely evolved.

You ask an open ended question, Jesus and Buddha loved their students and their teachings, in the sense that a God loves creatures that are completely idiotic and messes up everything you do. Even Mohammed cared about an annoying pest of a women who always made his life a hell. That is the difference between prophets and people, people could care less, whereas prophets even care about their own enemies.

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If they loved their followers then they would not have passed on. If the love was directed towards the teaching and species then they would have passed as they did and so would have reached Nirvana or heaven as their goal was met. Compassion or patience for annoying followers is indicative of a dedicated educator more so than parent.
Educators focus on mass, parents focus on individual. A god focuses on species using individuals as tools to manipulate the species in the desired direction. Tools are treated as good or bad or other.
Parents are loving the individual, attempting to help it achieve what it’s dreams or desires are, what is best for it not for the parent desires or needs. Quite different from god or educator.

7

No but we can learn his teachings, and they show us that the world/existence is dualistic; where duel = 2/division/polarity, there must be a 1.
He may not have reached it, but if his and others teachings bring us closer to a broader understanding of the world, then it doesn’t matter about personal achievement. I mean, personal achievement compared to what ~ when you consider that we are all individual subjective beings, then there is no one right way, that [a given right way] would be impossible.