A recognition?

On the issue of Buddhas body from the Lotus sutra (the chapter on virtuous conduct).

"His body is neither existing nor non-existing,
Neither caused nor conditioned,
Neither itself nor other,
Neither square nor round,
Neither short nor long."

It does not appear or disappear.
It is nor born and does not die."

"It is neither this nor that,
Neither going nor coming. "

Part of recognizing what we are includes the understanding that, in striving to "see" things as they are, we also "create" things as they are.

A fundamental notion is that our understanding shapes the reality which we see.

If we look for a deity or a divine purpose, whether named or unnamed, we will surely “see” one everywhere and in every thing we “wish to”..

However, as Buddhists, recognizing that “seeing” cannot be separated from “creating” allows us not only to see, but also to see through.

Just as we see through water by understanding that water in the ocean can be seen as a palace, a string of pearls, a pool of blood, we see through deities and divine purposes.

Whether they be mere idealizations or speculations which exist solely in our thoughts,or whether they extend further into some unknown realm beyond that of our conceptualization, they too are ultimately non-substantial and impermanent.

If they are not to be obstacles on our path, which we live out in this time and this place, we must understand this.

May the force be with you
Fugen