Originally Posted by AtomicSpud
Perhaps here it is appropriate to mention that Lord Buddha has, since the day of his parinibbana, been undergoing a process of deification: scrubbing away all the humanity, all that could connect him to normal deluded beings such as myself. Not unlike the Christian Jesus, I think. And it is sad that this happens; once the teacher becomes something more than human, becomes a God or something more, the teaching becomes useless.
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If humans laugh, surely Buddhas laugh. If humans cry, surely Buddhas cry. Buddhas are subject to old-age, illness, and death like the rest of us. To say that they are deadly serious is to say they're no longer human. Indeed, the common thread between all of my spiritual elders, regardless of tradition, is their ability to laugh. Laugh at happiness, laugh at sadness. Laugh with a compassionate heart.