After his enlightenment, the Buddha is said to have passed a man on the road who noticed an extraordinary radiance and peacefulness about him and asked, “My friend, what are you? Are you a heavenly being, a god?”
“No,” said the Buddha.
Well, something is different about you. Are you a magician? Are you a wizard?”
Again the Buddha answered, “No.”
“Well, then what are you?”
The Buddha said simply, “I am awake.” It’s probably the best known of the Buddha’s responses when people asked, “Are you a god or are you a man?”
Many of the statements attributed to him stress the importance of wakefulness. For example, “Every wakeful step, every mindful act is the direct path to awakening. Wherever you go, there you are.”--- and, “Even loss and betrayal can bring us awakening." In the room at home where I stretch and wake myself up with yoga every morning my routine is the same every day. I roll my mat out onto the floor, light a candle, and start a C.D. playing soft music. I keep several books with short statements collected over the centuries in what we know as “wisdom literature.” Each morning before I begin the yoga routine, I read just one of the statements. This morning’s statement has stuck in my mind all day long. “We do not possess our home, our children, or even our own body. They are only given to us for a short while to treat with care and respect.”
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