7) What are called ‘Buddhas’ and ‘sentient beings’
Is a difference of knowing or not knowing.
If you don’t cling to duality of permanence and nihilism,
You will find Buddha within! That is my heart advice.
This verse teaches the difference between Buddhas and sentient beings. The word for Buddha in Tibetan, sangye, has deep meaning associated with each of its two syllables, sang and gye. Sang, awakened, means that a Buddha has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and delusions. Gye, increased, means that a Buddha’s wisdom has increased to the point of comprehending all phenomena to be known. Sentient beings are defined as living beings who take birth out of delusion and karma. So what is the difference between Buddhas and sentient beings? Buddha was first like ourselves, born about twenty-five hundred years ago in Lumbini, Nepal, the son of King Shuddhodana. He had an incredible kingdom and wealth. But seeing the things of samsara to be essenceless when he saw birth, aging, sickness, and death, and so on, he became a monk, went through austerities for six years, and finally attained enlightenment. That was our Teacher, Lord Buddha. Having seen delusion to be the real enemy, Buddha completely abandoned it and finally attained the peace of nirvana.
