“This is the first time in thousands of years that someone has answered me like this. If
you promise me that you will be more than an enlightened one, there is a position that
I will grant you,” the Buddha-mind said.

“What position?” the Buddha asked.

“To be the Buddha,” the Buddha-mind answered.

“What does it mean to be the Buddha?” he asked.

“It means that from now on, when you are one with me, you have the same spirit as me,
you will be the first to tell many other people that they can be the Buddha. For
thousands of years, people have been taught that the Buddha is a lofty mind, a pure
mind, that ordinary humans cannot aspire to be the Buddha. You will be the first to tell
them that they are the Buddha-mind and that they can be that Buddha-mind
immediately,” the Buddha-mind answered.

“Now I am the Buddha… now I am the Buddha… now I am the Buddha…”

The Buddha uttered those words three times.

Suddenly, the sound of string and wind instruments playing a melody as beautiful as
the sound from heaven arose. He smelled the fragrance of flowers as if they were right
under his nose. When he opened his eyes, he saw a human form, but he couldn’t
determine its gender. It was both handsome and beautiful at the same time, with
smooth white skin, long flowing silver hair, wearing a long white robe with a pearly
sheen. The fabric was so thin that he could see the radiant body glowing in the
darkness.

“Who are you?” the Buddha asked.

“I am the Buddha, I am God. I have come to congratulate you on becoming the new
Buddha. I have come to give you advice. From now on, conduct yourself in a manner
befitting my lofty honor, because you are my representative. Show everyone the
Buddhahood with the wisdom you have gained from me. Be a refuge for humanity, let
them worship me through you. The people of the world will praise you through my
power. From now on, no one will be greater than you because you are the Buddha.”

“But you told me to go and tell everyone that they ‘are’ the Buddha. Why are you telling
me to do this?” the Buddha asked.

“Humans are foolish, humans are weak. They cannot be the Buddha. Only you can be.
Use this Buddhahood to your greatest advantage,” it answered.

“Who are you really? You are not the Buddha.”

“Yes, I am. Didn’t I just give you wisdom? How can I not be the Buddha? Listen to me.
Your power will be immense. You will be able to control everything as you desire.
Everyone will listen to you, have faith in you, and be willing to give their lives to do
anything for you. Everyone will praise you, as long as you cooperate with me.”

“I don’t know who you are… but now I know who I am. I am the Buddha. My duty is to
make people know that they are the Buddha. I will not cooperate with you because you
are not the real Buddha,” the Buddha said.

Then there was a loud, piercing scream. A strong wind blew against the Buddha’s face.
The once calm sky, the sound of the harp, the fragrance of flowers, and the bright
atmosphere turned into dark, swirling clouds. Thunder and lightning roared. That
sound came with the image of hundreds of war elephants charging forward with
weapons ready. They were advancing with the sound of trumpets signaling the attack,
mixed with the deafening sound of war drums to intimidate.

“Who are you really?” the Buddha asked again.

“I am the Buddha, the true lord of the Buddha. In this universe, no one is greater than
me. And anyone who wants to be the Buddha but doesn’t cooperate with me, doesn’t
listen to me, I will show them what they will face.” Then the army of elephants charged
towards him with all their weapons.

“Now I know who I am… I am the Buddha filled with love and goodwill. I have power
like God. I am not afraid of anything. Even if you kill me now, I will not regret it because
I already know who I am,” the Buddha answered calmly.

Even though the scene in front of him was terrifying, his calm, unwavering mind, filled
with inner power, was like a clear glass wall, preventing him from being frightened by
what he saw.

“I know you are not the Buddha. If you were the real Buddha, you would have no
hatred, you would not harm anyone. You are a fake Buddha,” the Buddha said aloud.

As soon as the Buddha finished speaking, the image of the large army of elephants
charging, in the atmosphere of dark clouds and deafening noise, disappeared instantly.
Silence appeared with the first light of dawn. He heard the sound of a rooster crowing
from a distant village.

“Now you have proven to me that you are firm and unwavering in the face of any fear,
and you truly desire to tell this story to everyone. Go then… go and proclaim this truth
to the world,” the voice of the Buddha-mind within arose again.

“Did you disguise yourself to test me?” the Buddha asked.

“This didn’t come from me. You are the one who created it,” the Buddha-mind
answered.

“I created it?” the Buddha asked.

“Yes… the secret of the mind that you may not know is that your mind has another side,
composed of accumulated experiences of fear, stored in the outer layer of your soul.
Anyone who is about to trespass into the realm of freedom, or the realm of courage,
your consciousness, which is about to lose power, will manifest for the last time. In fact,
it doesn’t intentionally come to test you. Because its nature is composed of fear, this is
an expression to protect its rights,” the Buddha-mind said.

“…I understand.”

“I hope I will meet more people who can communicate with me through your teachings
from now on.”

“I declare before every soul that exists in this universe that from now on, the Buddha
has arisen in this world. He will be like a light guiding hundreds of thousands of souls
to escape ignorance. May all souls say ‘Sadhu’ together!” the Buddha-mind proclaimed.