“Great Bodhisattvas, please be seated,” the Buddha said as he sat down in his original
position.

“Why did you decide to do that, Lord?” Mahapajapati was the first to ask the Buddha
about his decision to be born in the future world.

“Yes, Lord. I was so surprised that I could hardly believe my ears,” Visakha supported.

“Behold, Great Bodhisattvas, this time I am not going in the capacity of a teacher, but I
will go as a friend, a friend who once vowed to help each other. Since my friend took
the trouble to help me in the time of decline during my midpoint, it wouldn’t be wrong
for me to help my friend at the beginning of his era in the future, would it? And also, I
desire to explore my home to see what its condition is at that time. If anything is
dilapidated, I will take the opportunity to repair it to make it beautiful and livable as
before. For me, this is the most important grand situation. I feel most proud to be a part
of this honorable mission,” the Buddha said with a tone filled with joy.

“Oh, Lord Buddha, I am curious that since our minds have transcended the influence of
karma, have ended the cycle of rebirth, and are free from all attachments, what must
we do to be reborn again?” Queen Mallika asked.

“It is true that you are known as those who are free from the pile of suffering, free from
all bonds, those with pure minds free from attachment, and who are beyond the
consequences of karma, those with bright and joyful minds in every moment. But your
minds have power beyond anything else. A firm intention is a power similar to the
power of defilements, in that it has memory but not imprisonment. It will be a set goal
recorded in the soul, which is the intention that will lead you all to meet in the future.
Do not worry. Water flows down more easily than it flows up. Your minds are the same;
just let them flow naturally, and they will descend without effort,” the Buddha
explained.

“Does what you say mean that we should let defilements lead us back to the cycle of
rebirth again?” Uppalavanna asked.

“I consider it the same stream but not the same. Those who know defilements and see
their existence are superior to those who do not know defilements and do not see their
existence. Those who accept their existence with awareness, without causing suffering
to themselves or others, it will become beauty, filled with creativity. The perception of
things filled with gratitude to those who created them to appear in the world. The
acceptance that everything has causes and conditions, has duties and purposes. The
little butterfly does not sip nectar from the flower with defilement, just as the
knowledgeable human will understand all sensory experiences. As long as your mind
knows the true reason and duty without causing suffering, that is most important,” the
Buddha explained.

“Does that mean we have to go back to being ordinary people who live mixed with
defilements and piles of suffering again?” Yasa asked.

“The words you speak show the classification of people by their way of life. Monks have
the duty to travel to propagate the principles of Buddhahood as widely as possible.
Therefore, if they have the burden of taking care of a family, it is an obstacle to the way
of life of a monk. The fact that they choose to have only two pieces of cloth and one
bowl is an expression of a life free from worry about livelihood. The fact that they let go
of defilements, eat whatever people offer, sleep wherever without clinging to comfort,
does not mean that they are more wonderful or superior to anyone. The only factor
that indicates who has attained the truth is having the heart of the Buddha, a heart that
has only pure love, like the heart of a mother who cherishes her young child. Therefore,
anyone who has such a heart, whether husband or wife, old or young, poor or wealthy,
that person will be equally considered free from suffering. Be very careful about this.
Do not let the status you choose at present be a factor that separates you from each
other,” the Buddha replied.

“Oh, Supreme Teacher, what should we do from now on?” Cittagahapati asked.

“From now on, may all of you proceed to propagate the method of ‘being’ Buddha to as
many people as possible. Even though you know that you cannot make the whole world
know, please do it until your last breath to increase the number of people who
understand as much as possible. Monks, please travel in all directions, as far as
possible. When you have told people and are sure that they truly know this, you may
continue your journey. As for laypeople who live in households, please do activities
that promote living according to the way of being Buddha. Tell everyone that they are
Buddha, they are one with God. When they can feel being God, what will follow is that
they will discover the truth for themselves. You do not need to be the one to teach the
truth to anyone,” the Buddha replied.

“Not teach the truth? Is that possible?” Koliyarajadhita asked.

“If you are a flute player and you want to teach everyone to be flute players, you should
only teach them to know how many notes the flute has, which holes to close, which
holes to open, what sound each hole makes, and teach them to practice the skill of
playing until they are proficient. As for the duty of composing new flute songs, leave
that to them. They must create it themselves. Your duty ends only with teaching them
the skill of playing the flute. What is important is that being Buddha is easier than
being a flute player, because playing the flute still requires practice, but being Buddha
can use the mind to decide that they ‘are’ without going through any practice,” the
Buddha replied with an analogy.

“The moment you inadvertently teach the truth, that is equivalent to closing the
opportunity for them to discover the truth,” the Buddha emphasized.

“Why does it close the opportunity, Lord? I see everyone teaching the truth,” Upatissa
asked.

“If a student learning to play the flute with you asks what a sad song is like, and you
teach them a sad song that you have composed and have them play it, they may be a
talented student, able to memorize the melody accurately and able to play and express
the feeling of sadness flawlessly. But this method will prevent them from knowing how
to create the feeling of sadness to appear as a melody in their own way and by
themselves. Whenever they think of a sad song, they will only think of your song,
forgetting that there are millions of songs that express sadness waiting for them to be
the composer.”

“Your true duty is only to teach them to know the flute, teach them how to play the
flute, teach them how to compose melodies, encourage them to compose flute songs on
their own, guide them to imagine the melodies that will arise from various feelings
without guiding them with your knowledge. And when they have the ability to imagine
those feelings and can express them as melodies themselves, then no matter what kind
of feeling they want to express in a song, they will be able to compose it themselves
without relying on you at all,” the Buddha explained.

“Oh, Lord, if we have to be born through various lifetimes, our souls may be born in
other areas because we have to travel to distant places. We may get lost from each
other. We may forget each other. And when that time comes, how will we know what to
do, where, and how?” Tissametteyya asked.