To illustrate the danger of attachment, the Buddha often told stories like that of the . When a fisherman caught a beautiful fish to sell for a high price, the Buddha asked him to release it.
Sumedha's story illustrates , a central pillar of this philosophy: Buddhist Philosophy - Essential Readings - Khamkoo
: The path to enlightenment is not forced; it is a choice born from individual meditation on the nature of suffering. To illustrate the danger of attachment, the Buddha
The philosophy concludes that the "Pure Land" is not a far-off place, but a state of mind. When the heart becomes pure, the world reveals itself as pure here and now. The philosophy concludes that the "Pure Land" is
This effortful struggle, known as the , is what eventually allowed him to claim his seat under the Bo-tree. When challenged by the demon Mara, the Buddha did not rely on a god; he relied on the "effort of his many past lives" and the perfection of his own knowledge. The Pedagogy of the Middle Way