Satisfied Buddhist - Domo Geshe Rinpoche

Many Buddhist traditions contend that the Buddha was already enlightened in previous lives, and in the traditional manner, he had an internal awakening, and sought to wake up. He wanted to know the truth, and so he left his life of ease. After many years of great effort, he had the great awakening beyond the state of a learner Bodhisattva. How marvelous it is to be enlightened for the first time as a learner Bodhisattva, but Buddha Shakyamuni had already awakened in many previous lives. What he did in this last life was wake up to the tremendous responsibility of a world teacher, and for that he had to be very big. There is an enlightened alert state on the outside while still able to remain in reality alignment inside that is a sign of a great teacher rather than a hermit practitioner. He grew bigger inside without becoming diminished on the outside. The tremendous emergence into the activities of a world teacher caused the Buddha to enter into a new relationship with the world and al...