How do you Depict The Buddha?

[The Sum of Awe]

Some imagine that Guatama Buddha was a mellow, and peaceful man, being very simple minded and optimistic.

But perhaps, some imagine him to be dull, and a quiet man, being plain and simple.

Or perhaps other variations. What do you perceive him to be?

 

[Me Myself]

Looking peacefull very calmed, simple indeed. Slight smile.

I don´t think I would call my mental picture of him as "optimistic". I just imagine him as realistic. I do would say he was a lover of simple

"Life has suffering. Suffering can end. It ends by following the 8 lotus path" something along those lines I think it was .

So I imagine him basically without a worry. You can tell him your whole family die and his face may not flinch at it, he would look at you with the same compasion as before you started talking. Be it that family died, or you didn´t had a good day at work, I imagine him seeing it all as "the same". Suffering that will end, being felt with the ignorance than such suffering will end. In other words, attachment.

In some ways, he is not human at all anymore. In some ways, he is way bigger.

 

[Onkara]

Hi Awe
From what I have read in the Pali Canon I think he was harder towards himself and others than I initially thought. I think he had profound grasp of the subject and was accurate when answering people's questions. He was assertive and a leader. I assume he would throw out monks who didn't comply to his core teachings. He set out to teach and he achieved that in an environment which was full of other teachings, so I don't think he was accustomed to giving ground to anyone when it came to his philosophical teaching.

At one point he appears to be a little detached from "reality" (arguably of course) and reports seeing things differently than those around them, almost in an unrealistic way. I assume there is some deeper teaching in that suttra but it gave me a different impression of him (which still needs addressing).

I think he was compassionate but not emotionally.

 

[crossfire]

Actually, I see Buddha as being quite driven. Before his enlightenment, he took his practice up to the very edge of extremes. If the practice did not bring a way to end suffering, he moved on to other practices.

I see him as quite discerning and able to communicate clearly--he would tailor his responses so those whom he was speaking to could understand. I also see him as being quite skeptical. (As for the time Onkara referred to when he was a little "detached from reality," he did mention that the "ending of signs" was a positive aspect towards realizing mindfulness and enlightenment. I think his skepticism helped him in this respect.)

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Have you ever read about the Taoist sages and Tai Chi masters who teach something along the lines of being hard by being soft? I imagine him to be something like that. He was quiet and simple, yet he had an inner drive that pushed him forward.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Some imagine that Guatama Buddha was a mellow, and peaceful man, being very simple minded and optimistic.

But perhaps, some imagine him to be dull, and a quiet man, being plain and simple.

Or perhaps other variations. What do you perceive him to be?

Intense. Seriously. The fact that he spent so much time as an ascetic attests to his strength (and ignorance).

 

[Secret Chief]

Dead.

 

[Onkara]

Actually, I see Buddha as being quite driven. Before his enlightenment, he took his practice up to the very edge of extremes. If the practice did not bring a way to end suffering, he moved on to other practices.

I see him as quite discerning and able to communicate clearly--he would tailor his responses so those whom he was speaking to could understand. I also see him as being quite skeptical. (As for the time Onkara referred to when he was a little "detached from reality," he did mention that the "ending of signs" was a positive aspect towards realizing mindfulness and enlightenment. I think his skepticism helped him in this respect.)

Hi Crossfire
I agree with your view
Do you recognise the suttra I am referring to by any chance? Not to worry if not, I am trying to find it again but not having much luck.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

At one point he appears to be a little detached from "reality" (arguably of course) and reports seeing things differently than those around them, almost in an unrealistic way. I assume there is some deeper teaching in that suttra but it gave me a different impression of him (which still needs addressing).

I think he was compassionate but not emotionally.

The Mahayana sutras show the Buddha in a similar light. The first one that comes to mind is the Lotus Sutra. But this not, by far, the only one that does so.

And no, the Buddha's compassion was not emotional, it transcended emotions.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Dunno. I never met him. ;0)

I do get the impression the Buddha was compassionate without emotion. Like
Dynaprajna put forth.

To clarify, I meant without the influences of emotion that can come into play.

 

[crossfire]

Hi Awe
From what I have read in the Pali Canon I think he was harder towards himself and others than I initially thought. I think he had profound grasp of the subject and was accurate when answering people's questions. He was assertive and a leader. I assume he would throw out monks who didn't comply to his core teachings. He set out to teach and he achieved that in an environment which was full of other teachings, so I don't think he was accustomed to giving ground to anyone when it came to his philosophical teaching.

At one point he appears to be a little detached from "reality" (arguably of course) and reports seeing things differently than those around them, almost in an unrealistic way. I assume there is some deeper teaching in that suttra but it gave me a different impression of him (which still needs addressing).

I think he was compassionate but not emotionally.

Hi Crossfire
I agree with your view
Do you recognise the suttra I am referring to by any chance? Not to worry if not, I am trying to find it again but not having much luck.

Well there is this one where he talks about other contemplatives who see night as day and day as night:
Bhaya-bherava Sutta: Fear & Terror

 

[crossfire]

Have you ever read about the Taoist sages and Tai Chi masters who teach something along the lines of being hard by being soft? I imagine him to be something like that. He was quiet and simple, yet he had an inner drive that pushed him forward.

Upekkha.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

Depict? My mental image is admittedly a little... unorthodox. Impeccably dressed in the most fashionable of saffron robes, with a slight lisp, throat-singing showtunes, riding a T-rex and shooting exploding laser beams out of his glowing red eyes at fleeing existentialists and guys named Todd. With one shoulder humbly bared to the empty sky. A horribly bearmored and spiked pauldron mantling the other, with a flaming puppy skull impaled on the largest, most serrated spike.

Farting rainbows.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Depict? My mental image is admittedly a little... unorthodox. Impeccably dressed, with a slight lisp, singing bawdy tunes, riding a T-rex and shooting exploding laser beams out of his glowing red eyes at fleeing existentialists. With one shoulder humbly bared to the empty sky. A horribly bearmored and spiked pauldron mantling his right.

Farting rainbows.

Oh boy, what a coincidence... I typically viewed him the same way, just about at least. Except I viewed the T-rex to be a pterodactyl, and the laser beams to not have come from him, it was something to do with a time lapse of his Buddha powers.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Depict? My mental image is admittedly a little... unorthodox. Impeccably dressed in the most fashionable of saffron robes, with a slight lisp, throat-singing showtunes, riding a T-rex and shooting exploding laser beams out of his glowing red eyes at fleeing existentialists and guys named Todd. With one shoulder humbly bared to the empty sky. A horribly bearmored and spiked pauldron mantling the other, with a flaming puppy skull impaled on the largest, most serrated spike.

Farting rainbows.

Thats quite accurate. I forgot. :0D

 

[crossfire]

Depict? My mental image is admittedly a little... unorthodox. Impeccably dressed in the most fashionable of saffron robes, with a slight lisp, throat-singing showtunes, riding a T-rex and shooting exploding laser beams out of his glowing red eyes at fleeing existentialists and guys named Todd. With one shoulder humbly bared to the empty sky. A horribly bearmored and spiked pauldron mantling the other, with a flaming puppy skull impaled on the largest, most serrated spike.

Farting rainbows.

ROFLMAO!

I do picture Buddha as being quite human.

 

[Musty]

Some imagine that Guatama Buddha was a mellow, and peaceful man, being very simple minded and optimistic.

But perhaps, some imagine him to be dull, and a quiet man, being plain and simple.

Or perhaps other variations. What do you perceive him to be?

I try to avoid assigning him any characteristics that elevate him above the norm. From what I've read so far Buddha didn't want to become a more than just a man because this would be undermine his teachings. Some of the texts I've read elevate him to a majestic amazing being but to me this is forming an attachment to an idea which should be avoided as this provides potential for conflict.

 

[YmirGF]

Arguably, Buddha is not his body, that body would be Siddhartha. Buddha was another order of events entirely. Then again, what do I know?

 

[Musty]

Arguably, Buddha is not his body, that body would be Siddhartha. Buddha was another order of events entirely. Then again, what do I know?

You are of course correct. I should have said Siddartha, not Buddha,