Awakened One 接觸佛性

Today I practiced Touching the Earth in my room. Opend Thay's book and recited his words, and bowed to Buddha and bodhisattvas, remiding myself their good quality in me.Prof. Rina told me last night: Praciting, and then you are Buddha. I felt too much to accept and admit "I am Buddha". Sometimes I would rather say buddha nature but this seems an excuse to being Buddha (just word games?). I am still learing as Buddha's student but not dare being Buddhaself...

The Blooming of a Lotus (29)
Mindfulness of the Awakened One
(Thich Nhat Hanh, 2008, Guided meditation exercise for healing and transformation)

Seeing the Buddha before me in the seated meditation position, I breathe in.
Joining my palms in respect, I breathe out.
Buddha sitting
Joining palms

Seeing the Buddha in me, I breathe in.
Seeing myself in the Buddha, I breathe out.
Buddha in me
Me in Buddha

Seeing the boundary between myself and the Buddha disappear as the Buddha smiles, I breathe in.
Seeing the boundary between the one who respects and the one who is respected disappear as I smile, I breathe out.
Buddha smiles, no boundary
I smile, no boundary

Seeing myself bowing deeply to the Buddha, I breathe in.
Seeing the strength of the Buddha enter me, I breathe out.
Bowing deeply to Buddha
Strength of Buddha in me

This mediation exercise has been applied for more than a thousand years in countries with Buddhist tradition. In Vietnam, it is used at the beginning of ceremonies before people bow deeply to the Buddha. The traditional wording is: Since the nature of the one who bow and the one who is bowed to is empty, the communication between us is perfect.
This mediation is rooted in the teachings of interbing, emptiness, and nonduality. According to the teachings of interdependent arising, both the Buddha and the person who bow before the Buddha are manifested by cause and condition and cannot exist in separation from the rest of all that is. This is what is meant when we say that both are empty. In this context, emptiness means the lack of an autonomously arising, independent entity. In myself are many elements that are not myself, and one of these elements is the Buddha. In the Buddha are many elements that are not the Buddha, and one of those elements is me. It is this insight that enable me to realize the deep contact between myself and the Buddha, and it is this insight that gives the ceremony of paying homage to the Buddha its deepest meaning. It is rare in religious traditions to find this equality between the one who pays homage and the one who is paid homage sated in such an uncompromising way. When we pay homage like this, we do not feel weak or needy. Instead, we are filled with confidence in our capacity to be awakened in the way that the Buddha was.

This exercise can be practiced in sitting meditation or as we bow deeply before the Buddha, Christ, the bodhisattvas, and so on.