"It is there"

   Paramartha Samudyatha was the next in hierarchy to the Enlightened Buddha. The Buddha and paramartha are almost identical; however, there was a small gap that prevented the latter from becoming the Buddha. This is evident from a small dialogue between the two.

  Paramartha Samudyatha asked the Lord Buddha: "Sir, please enlighten me as to what you often say, "It is there".

 The Buddha replied: Yes "It is there".

  "When you turn the wheel of Time, dharma chakra, the 'Truth' is gradually revealed. First, "it is there", means, the subject and the object are vividly separate to the senses. It is there and, obviously, I am here. This is ignorance of the 'Reality".

 Then again, the same question is repeated by Paramartha.

 To this, the Buddha answered:  Now, "It is there", means, the subject is perceiving the object as one! In the process both become one. the perceiver and the perceived become one. When the enlightened consciousness realizes the subject and the object are one, the nature of 'Reality of Existence' is revealed. This is the effect of meditation.

 Again, the question is repeated by Paramartha.

 This time the answer given by the Buddha is: Yes, 'IT' is 'There'. "In the heightened state of consciousness, the difference between the subject and the object disappear and the duality disappears! There exists 'nothing' (obvious); it is called the state of 'nirvana', absence of ignorance, ajnyana. The transient nature (impermanence) of the objective world is thus revealed to the sadhaka. This highest state of consciousness, called 'nirvana' is not the void, or 'shunya'. It is 'dynamic silence'. This is expressed by a mere smile, the Buddha's Smile, the all-knowing smile!

  This silence and all-knowing smile has given rise to many a misunderstanding amongst his followers.

 When his disciples asked the Buddha: "Is There God?"

 The Buddha just smiled. He Him Self was in a state of equilibrium, sthitaprajnya, God, and, as such, where and how come another God? His disciples misunderstood his smile for a negative answer and went on spreading: "There is no God". In fact, he, the Buddha, forbid worship of him in any form, But, later, some of his disciples started a separate clan of 'worshippers', erecting huge statue of him, that too, in gold!

  So also, about the Veda. When they asked about the Veda, he, the all-knowing Buddha just smiled. His followers again mistook it and started spreading "There is no veda" or the Veda is a lie. This is how our own ignorance covers 'the truth'. It is extremely difficult to understand what the other learned one speaks unless we too reach that height of understanding. 

  A clear understanding of these spiritual aspects depends much on reflection (chintana), contemplation and that contemplation depends on faith. Thus, faith and meditation are very important.
  There is a beautiful dialogue between a buddhist monk and an observer.
 Once an observer saw a Buddhist monk engrosses in mediation, contemplating on a frog jumping into the pool. The observer was curious about the monk so engrossed in the frog jumping into the pool and asked him what is so strange about it. He asked him what has meditation to do with it.
 The monk answered:
 Before meditation, the frog just jumped into the pool; nothing so strange about it. 

  After meditation, the monk observed how the frog took a step, a hop, and then jump; then came a slash of water with a 'chal' sound- all that was so soothing to a meditative mind. The frog happily swam after that. There was joy everywhere- in the frog, the monk who was observing and the whole environment of the pool, the freshness of air, the cool and all that. Any ordinary person will just miss this great joy, the monk said!  
A meditative mind is a happy happy mind, lives in the present unperturbed by the gruelling daily mill of life.