4-Line Gatha | The King of Samadhis Sutra

Even if as many millions of māras as there are Ganges sands,
Came before them in the forms of buddhas,
And said to them that there is a soul within the body,
They would reply that it was not so and say, ‘You are not buddhas.
- The King of Samadhis Sutra

Point0fMU | This sutra, particularly this excerpt, is important because it affirms the difference between Buddhism and any philosophy (or religion) that espouses a belief in a soul within the body.

It serves as a poignant affirmation for the Sangha (that is Buddhist monks, nuns, laymen, & laywomen). In other words, the Sangha should know that no Buddha would ever claim:
- there is a soul,
- that a soul resides within the body, or
- the soul is eternal

I encourage you to read this sutra, choose as little as a single line to memorize and meditate on - I chose, "The Tathagata is the natural result of Merit."

Why is this sentence powerful? When confronted with the figurative 'fork in the road', meaning a desire arises in which you must choose whether to perform a non-meritorious action in order to get something you want; instead, contemplate 'The Tathagata is the natural result of merit', and hopefully, you will err on the side of performing the meritorious action thereby sacrificing personal advantage in favor of the Buddha's intent for you - becoming a Buddha - the ultimate goal.

https://84000.co/translation/toh127#UT22084-055-001-introduction

#motivation #affirmations #buddhistsutras #suttateachings #quotes