Buddha

The New Message regards Buddha as one of the previous Messengers from God along with Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

"The Buddha taught the importance of non-violence—to produce no harm, to will no harm, for this is the heart of all the world’s religions if they are clearly understood."

In His Time

"The Buddha came at a time of great religious decadence and misuse in his own nation. And though he was born a prince, he had to give that up, you see. But he also had to give up the life of a pure ascetic because he realized that neither was really the correct pathway. He had to build a spiritual practice that was apart from all of the mythology and idolatry and hierarchical misuse of the religious practices that were so prevalent in his time, and in so many parts of the world at that time—[with] the emphasis on inner development, the emphasis on purifying and clarifying the mind, the emphasis upon reaching a higher ethical understanding about being in the world. What you must understand here is that he lived at a time when social change and progress were really not possible. It was a religion for building the inner life, not for impacting the outer life essentially, not directly. Because at that period of time, it was not possible to create real social progress. That would have to wait until later eras, and the Messengers of later eras would emphasize this because they were living at such a time when that was possible."

The Legacy of the Buddha

"The Buddha proved that you do not have to be an ascetic or leave the world entirely, for that is not the emphasis, you see. He had to return to the world and serve in the most mundane and often difficult circumstances, facing all of the tragedies and abuses of his society, speaking to the highest and the lowest, speaking to the least privileged of peoples, traveling with hardship to deliver an essential message that could begin to restore and redeem people, all who could hear him in his time."

"In Knowledge you will find comfort and assurance. In Knowledge all that is truest in life will abide with you, for in Knowledge the Christ and the Buddha are one. In Knowledge all the great achievements of the great Spiritual Emissaries unite and become revealed to you. In this, their promise is fulfilled, for they have given themselves for this purpose. Thus, the Knowledge that you receive today is the fruit of their giving, for Knowledge has been kept alive in the world for you. It has been kept alive by those who have received and contributed it. Thus, their lives provide the foundation for yours. Their giving provides the foundation for your giving. Their acceptance of Knowledge strengthens your acceptance of Knowledge."

Inspiration

"The Buddha is inspiring to you because you have a relationship with this remarkable individual, not because this individual is making everything work out in life for you."

"Many of you would like to be like a Buddha or a Jesus or a Mother Teresa because these individuals represent everything that I am talking about. Individuals such as these are not trying anything. Life is moving them.They are unburdened so they can follow life. It is not that they have few possessions.That is not the issue. It is that they have very little insistence upon life; yet they are fully able and desiring to participate."

"Knowledge is an abiding Presence within you. It can counsel you every five seconds. It abides with you. If you are not a religious person, well, you can just say, “I feel very good.” And if you are a religious person, you can say,“Well, I feel God is with me or Christ is with me or Buddha is with me or the Presence is with me.” It does not matter if you are religious or not. God does not care. God does not understand religion. God did not create religion. God only knows God."

Idealization

"Many people are more comfortable idealizing Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad than they are in really involving themselves in the teachings of these traditions. The hero worship takes the place of their own personal work and endeavor, and so these teachers become idols of worship."

"You must turn your approach inward, for believing in Jesus or Muhammad or the Buddha will not bridge the gap of separation that exists between you and your Source and between the part of you that lives in the world and is of the world and the part of you that is not of the world."

"On occasion great teachers are sent into the physical world, but this is quite rare. Why is it rare? Because people cannot tolerate having someone like that around. Would you want to go share a household with Buddha or Jesus? It would make you very uncomfortable!"

"The Wise remain hidden for a very good reason. And yet, when you consider this idea, you will see how much it goes against your ambition and your personal motives. After all, you may not want to give your life and devote yourself to something that will not glorify you. Even the religions of the world offer many different images of self-glorification— to become a Buddha, to become an avatar, to become Christ like, to become a shining example that everyone flocks to for inspiration, healing and beneficence. However, the reality is very different from this and needs to be different because there is no Wisdom here. Do not, then, stimulate your personal mind with these fantasies. This is not the way."

Misuse of the Teachings

"Do not underestimate the power or the persuasion of the Forces of Dissonance, for they too can speak of God and love and of Christ, Muhammad and Buddha, but with a different emphasis and for a different purpose. They too use all that is good, but for another purpose."

Further Study

Buddha and the New Message from God