Simple Spiritual Lessons

If You Come Across the Buddha on the Street, Kill Him

Heal from “savior syndrome” and turn on the light switch within you.

(Warning: Writing contains profanity (mild). Keep your small children away… or don’t. We all know that we’ve said f*ck since we were like 9).

So I know what you’re thinking… “Woah, Woah, you’re telling me that if I see the cutest, chubbiest man sitting in the middle of the road crossed legged with his eyes closed, I should crank up the speed of my Nissan Frontier 4WD and run him over?”

First of all, it’s 2020 so why are you driving that thing? Bad gas mileage much? And climate change bro/sis, go get yourself a Tesla. But my point is not to judge your automobile inclinations but to tell you: YES, kill him.

But not in the literal sense of the word whatsoever. We’ll get to that later.

I’m a peace and love kind of guy, so of course, I wouldn’t advocate for roadkill. However, I’m also a philosophical guy that gets turned on from meaningful, insightful metaphors.

So, let’s unpack the metaphor.

I’ve been flirting around with ideas from Buddhism lately, and I can tell you now that trying to understand the teachings is like telling a boy/girl scout to tie the most complex knot around your mind and then trying to escape from it. Good luck. You’ll probably have to buy a year’s worth of cookies from them to get out of that one, buddy.

Hoping to understand concepts from the Buddha such as:

Emptiness, Selflessness or Impermanence is intellectual suicide.

For example, how can you physically prove that “there is no-self” or anatta in Sanskrit? It’s the idea that our egos create illusions and cling to identities or things that aren’t necessarily real (your body, your name, your phenomenal coding skills, etc). Of course, this statement is beyond my un-enlightened ass because I wake up every morning, look in the mirror and see a half-asleep dude with messy hair, and I think “that’s me! Now shower and look decent”.

However, you’re in luck today. I will not even try to write a dissertation and prove beyond-this-world ideas from Buddhism. Some truths in the universe can only be revealed through experience. We try to wrap our logical, left-brain around ideas like compassion, happiness, or joy. No, no honey. You will not find the square root or return on investment from being kind to others.

I’m more focused on our ability to attach our idea of ultimate truth, God, or higher power (whatever fills your coffee in the morning), to one single thing. To be clear, I will not disrespect the diverse ideas and the amazing creation stories about the Divine. I’ll even give Moses some props for splitting that sea in half.

I’m much more curious about the phenomenon that we cling on to one truth. For centuries we have waged wars and killed others in the name of some book’s validity. This sense of tribalism, the idea that our group holds the truth in our hands, is outdated. We live in an age where nuclear and biological weapons are accessible, so I wouldn’t want some president or religious leader to go bonkers to defend their perception of the truth. Ego much?

Looking for the Truth?

You dropped it inside you. Don’t be lazy and find it.

Many religious prophets have revealed that they are equal to us and we can achieve their spiritual level. However, we ignore what they are saying, and go back to building shrines, sculptures, and towers that represent our God(s) and idolize them. Art-wise that’s remarkable. Have you been inside the Sagrada Familia? Mind-blowing. But all this worship and all the savior talk is a form of diverting us from finding our higher power.

Once upon a time, a man asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would arrive. Jesus lovingly smiled, patted him on the back, and told him that sadly it is not something you can see or touch. Then he pointed to his heart and said,

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

The concepts I’m playing with are universal, timeless, and so freaking simple.

We knew this shit since coming out of the womb, but we drank too many belief martinis and forgot.

Look, Buddha achieved his enlightenment under a tree…while meditating. Do you think that he followed a strict guideline on how to reach it? No. He just did it, by going within.

He was on a quest to liberate himself and humanity from suffering. Did he pop an Advil as soon as he felt a little muscle spasm? Did he wait for a therapist to explain to him why he was insecure about his belly? Did he wait for a dashing knight to give him a ride on a white horse so that he could finally be happy and free of pain? The answer is probably not. He meditated his way to liberation.

I would not prescribe meditation.

The word meditation has unfortunately gotten to the point where people are so sick of hearing it that their mind shuts down when they are informed about yet another reason why meditation will “unleash their inner Superhero.” Marketing these days…

But allow me to let you in on a little secret… I meditate on the daily. Has it helped me? Yeah, but who cares, I want to return to the reason why Buddha has not yet been able to achieve his vision of global liberation from suffering.

My rational voice tells me that there is only one reason: F*cking Instagram.

My intuition tells me that there are depths to this answer, but one main reason is that our society is subject to cling to external things because as individuals we do not realize our true nature.

The way modern society works shows this now more than ever. We are brought up thinking that if something goes wrong in our lives, then we need to fix that problem through a product or service outside of us. Feeling a little down? Take this pill for the rest of your life. Girls aren’t attracted to you? Buy this cologne that will boost your crush’s sex drive when they’re around you. You get the point. I’m not saying that buying things is bad, heck, I just ordered from Amazon.

I’m shedding light on the fact that we rely on “things” outside ourselves to solve the problems in our life.

Shunryu Suzuki, Zen monk and author of the book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, put it this way:

“Usually, without being aware of it, we try to change something other than ourselves. We try to order things outside us”.

The diagnosis for today? Savior Syndrome

Having a savior sells. Look into all the romantic films featuring a Cinderella-like storyline where the prince saves the damsel in distress. Or the T.V ad where a bootylicious lady in yoga pants tries to sell you a shiny Peloton Bike because it will solve all your love handle issues. And if I may, even religious institutions thrive on the paradigm that we are all sinners from now and then, but the only way to be clean and free of our mishappenings is to “serve the lord”.

It is beyond great that we acknowledge that we are in pain, that we are suffering, and that we need help. In the wise words of Alan Cohen, author of A Course in Miracles Made Easy,

“How you get out of pain and get saved makes all the difference in whether your method of salvation will free you or bind you”.

As we strive to find our saviors outside of us, whether that be a needy boyfriend/girlfriend, the State, or a painkiller, then we deny the inner light within us. This is some empowering shit, isn’t it? There’s no need to idolize a person, book, or type of drug when we realize that the truth we search for lies inside our core. It’s absolutely fine to admire the beauty of a public figure or enjoy that delicious meal that our mom makes, however, the objective is to not cling on to material things and wake up to our internal beauty, wisdom, kindness, and ability to heal/liberate ourselves.

Finding the Light Switch

Every time we close our eyes we are walking around lost in a pitch-black room. Voices or thoughts will come up saying hurtful things like “You are not enough”, or even random things like “Was Jessica checking out my ass today?” That’s our mind’s default mode network, where our Ego/inner critic babbles about our specialness, kindness, ugliness, or just any traits that we identify ourselves with.

With the right practice, we reach a point where that pitch dark room starts to slowly lighten up. That annoying voice starts quieting down. The silence is serene and we can express a peaceful smile and relax. It’s like we finally turned on the light in the room.

We realize that this is what we have been looking for all along. The idea of an Almighty savior is no longer a need in this state. We feel blissful and whole. Alan Watts, the spiritual writer, and speaker described,

“You are all this, only you got into a funny illusion”.

It can be a scary, f*cked up place inside our minds, but to find the light switch within us we must dive in. Once inside, we learn to detach, let go, and not hold on to external things that won’t bring us happiness. It takes time. I’ve meditated for two years and still have ego issues, doubts, and fears. That’s why meditation is not the cure. It’s a tool to “know thyself” but it’s not the only way to get there.

Awaken to your own Buddha Nature

I prefer calling the process of “meditation” something else not scare anyone away. Let’s give it another name, yeah? Some suggestions:

Mind Digging, Light Switch Searching (cringe), or simply just closing our damn eyes for a little while.

Just like Christ or the Buddha, these are states of consciousness. They are the awareness that divinity is within us and all around us. If we limit the higher nature of the universe to one personality, one guy in ancient robes, or one book, then we are fabricating a God that’s less than a God. By going within ourselves now and then, we awaken to a certain joyous realization that we hold a great power within us.

The Dalai Lama described that in his studies, he came across a phrase by the Buddha that stated

“You are your own master”.

Let’s treat our savior syndrome by searching the infinite light within us. We will not find it outside ourselves. Searching for the truth externally is like trying to find a baby who doesn’t poop himself.

So, back to the title of this article that is a metaphor, and sadly I didn’t come up with it. One of the most prominent Zen monk masters of the ninth-century, Linji Yixuan, was quoted saying “When you meet the Buddha, kill him”, which refers to “killing” a Buddha you perceive as separate from yourself because such a Buddha is an illusion.

The nature and state of mind of the Buddha are fundamentally natural to all of us. Nothing outside ourselves will ever come close.

Don’t be afraid to look within, because every journey that you choose will eventually lead you inwards.

Keep seeking my friends. Remember to wake up to all that you are, and may the journey or paths that you choose lead to revealing that light switch.

Once you uncover that inner light, shine that thing onto the world, and let it be so bright that airplanes use you to navigate during flights, just like the Luxor Lamp above. Fun fact: this Luxor light beam created its ecosystem of freaking bats, owls, and moths. However, I’m not advising you to become the world’s finest bug attractor or add to the world’s light pollution.

But I do hope that you may use your light to radiate your positive energy, attract extraordinary people, and create the personal reality that you choose.

All love,

If you reached this point, you’re the real MVP. Your momma would be proud. Thank you for committing your precious time into reading this, & I truly hope that it positively touched you.

For more insightful, half-funny articles, follow me, and I would love to connect further and hear your thoughts. My Instagram is @emilio_ortiz23, or also browse @theinnergymotto where we publish empowering content to ignite the flame within.