Though probably the most brilliant intellect of his time, the Buddha maintained no intellectual positions whatever. They would be counter to his only purpose, which was to inspire greater effort in spiritual practice. How can intellectual opinions about the unity of life help a person as long as he believes he is a separate ego? What difference does his opinion about eternity make as long as he is still caught up in time? By offering no metaphysical supports, the Buddha prompts us to plunge deep in meditation and see for ourselves what we discover.
