A human or not human
The shape of a wheel on the sole of the foot was one of the thirty-two auspicious
marks of the Buddha. The Buddha was not born with the thirty-two marks.
They were the result of ninety-one great kalpas of cultivation.
One day, a Brahman saw the footfrints of the Buddha, and was astonished
to see the presence of the wheel images. He pondered:" This is the
first time in my life that I have witnessed such dignified images. Could
it be that he is not a human? I must tail him to find out."
The Brahman curiously went in search for the Buddha and finally found him
in meditation under a tree. Seeing the majestic appearance and grand effulgence
of the Buddha, he asked in trepidation:" Are you a celestial?"
The Buddha replied demurely:" I am not a celestial."
" Are you a dragon deva?"
" No, I am not a dragon deva."
" Then you must be a Yaksa."
" I am not a Yaksa."
" Then are you a Gandharva?"
" No, I am not a Gandharva."
" You are an Asura? Garuda? Kinnara? Mahoraga?"
" No, I am none of these."
The Brahman queried in suspicion:" Then, you are a human?"
The Buddha replied:" I am not human."
The Brahman became even more anxious:" So......You must be a non-human."
The Buddha smiled and said:" I am not a non-human either."
Opening his eyes wide, the Brahman said:" To which species do you belong?"
Still in composure, the Buddha answered:" Celestial, Deva, Gandharva,
Kinnara, Yaksa, Asura, Garuda, Mahoraga, Human and Non-human are all beings
with defilements and worries. I have demolished all delusion and transcended
the cycle of birth and death. I am a saint of the three realms, and therefore
do not fall into any of the above categories. Although my body is born of
a mother and a father, I am not a worldling with trouble and worries. I
am like a pure white lotus flower which emerges uncontaminated out of the
mud. I have gone through many kalpas of industrious cultivation, and have
attained the ultimate accomplishment. I am therefore the Buddha."
[ Buddha is the complete and perfect human and a sentient
being of enlightenment and wholesome actions. A human is an unenlightened
Buddha. Nonetheless, he can become a Buddha after diligent and persistent
cultivation on the right path.]
