In mystical religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, perfect enlightenment represents the goal of human transformation.
Christian mystics, on the other hand, strive for perfection, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or the deification of the human being.
Sun Myung Moon's perspective on Buddha's complete enlightenment allows us to contextualize this experience from a Christian viewpoint.
In doing so, we recognize how similar human experiences can be, even if the theological approaches may seem completely different. Based on this, we can assess the mystical practices that lead to such experiences and develop a practice that utilizes the resources of both paths.
Let us first consider what Sun Myung Moon says about Buddha.
Once you enter a state of love, you will find that each and every being exists as the only, unique being. When the Buddha said, "In heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one," he was not speaking casually. In a state of unity between his mind and body, he was saying, "As it is now and was in the past, heaven and earth are in harmony. Gazing into myself and at everything in motion, having entered the realm of resonance of true love, I can see that God resides within me, all things of creation are within me, andall things are my friends and brothers and sisters. Since I am the subject partner, I am like their owner. Since I am the subject partner, in the whole cosmos, I alone am the honored one."
After his enlightenment, Buddha was in a state of perfect love and mind-body unity.
He realized that God resides in him and that there is no longer a separation between God, himself, and all beings.
When you achieve the state of unity between your mind and your body, it is the same as what Buddha experienced. It is the state in which you can feel: "In heaven and on earth, I am the only one who is honored." When you are at the center of things, no form of energy in the realm of love can take action without passing through this center.
This quote makes it even more explicit that Buddha entered the state of mind-body unity after his enlightenment.
Moreover, it becomes clear that he has simultaneously reached the realm of true love.
When you enter the realm of the resonance of true love, you will be able to clearly recognize heaven and earth. The Buddha said: "In heaven and on earth, I am the only one who is honored." He said this because when he entered the core of this realm of resonance, he found the entire world in his hands, God dwelled in him, and the heavenly law was connected with him.
This quote makes it clear that God dwelled in Buddha. This shows that Buddha was in a state of unity with God.
Although Buddha himself did not develop a concept of God, he was nonetheless one with God.
We do not necessarily need a concept of God to directly experience God.
The path of inner purification, humility, gratitude, and mindfulness leads us to the experience of God - not the concept.