The Buddha - was Not a Buddhist

A name is imposed on what is thought to be a thing or a state and this divides it from other things and other states.
But when you pursue what lies behind the name, you find a greater and greater subtlety that has no divisions.
Atoms of dust are not really atoms of dust but are merely called that. In the same way, a world is not a world but is merely called that. - Visuddhi Magga

J Patrick Genna
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That would be nice, but I don't think it's going to happen because spiritual life always requires an inner struggle, always requires the actual act of transcendence.
And in our time especially, it requires far more ingenuity and courage than in any other time. This is the kali yuga, the dark age. We each need to light our own candle and make sure that we don't stumble in the dark.
--George Fuererstein

The 12 nidanas (causes), which the Wheel of Life, describe the chain of causation by which the cycle of death and rebirth known as samsara is created. They are also known as the 12 links of dependent origination.

As expressed in the Buddha's Four Noble Truths, the goal of PRACTICE is to overcome suffering (duḥkha) caused by desire and ignorance of reality's true nature, including impermanence (anicca) and the non-existence of the self (anattā).

"THE TROUBLE WITH WESTERN MAN IS THAT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO BE CONTENT IN AN EMPTY ROOM" - BLAISE PASCAL

“Bhikkhus (monks), these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life. What are the two? There is devotion to the indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, common, the way of ordinary people, unworthy and unprofitable; and there is devotion to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable.

“Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (referring to the Buddha himself) has realized the Middle Path: It gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment, to Nirvana.

In the Lankavatara Sutra, someone asks the Buddha, “What is speech? What are words?” And the Buddha says, “Speech is a combination of projections. It arises due to attachment to habit energy and the discrimination of our own mind.” By themselves, sounds have no meaning. The meaning of a certain word is given by the context in which it’s delivered, as well as its tone. Saying, “Hey,” in a soft voice is not the same as yelling, “Hey!” Context and tone matter, which points to the ways in which words can become weaponized.

This landmark collection is the definitive introduction to the Buddha's teachings - in his own words. The American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, whose voluminous translations have won widespread acclaim, here presents selected discourses of the Buddha from the Pali Canon, the earliest record of what the Buddha taught. ... Google Books
Originally published: July 28, 2005