SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE:

Why would people care about the birthday of a man born in Nepal more than 2,500 years ago, someone who never traveled more than a few hundred miles from his home, or wrote even a single book?

On April 8 every year, millions of Buddhists from all branches and denominations all over the world celebrate the birth of Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha — which means “awakened one.”

In my own tradition, the Buddha is not viewed as a God and he is not worshiped or prayed to for intervention or assistance. Zen Buddhists regard the Buddha as a human being, an inspiring example and a great teacher.

Our veneration can only be expressed in one way — by walking the same path as the Buddha and experiencing the same awakening. Because everyone has this potential to awaken, we are all “Buddhas.”

But then what does it mean to awaken or become enlightened?

There is a Zen story about two pilgrims from different religious traditions discussing their practice.

The first pilgrim boasts, “My spiritual teacher performs miraculous deeds, flying across the river and writing words in the sky.”

The Zen monk responds, “My teacher also performs wondrous deeds. When he eats, he eats and when he sleeps, he sleeps.”

Can we experience each moment — which includes bearing our own suffering and the suffering of others, as well as finding steady satisfaction in small, ordinary and simple things of everyday life?

Or are we “unawake” — stuck in a rut, caught up in business, stressed out and hardened into old habits of mind and behavior?

Asleep, deadened or dreaming also includes seeking relief through drugs, alcohol, consumerism, escapes and the mirage that life will be better in the future if only exterior circumstances change.

We care about the Buddha’s birthday because his spiritual journey, including his struggles and his awakening, are universal and they are expressed in our own lives every day.

DEBORAH BARRETT is a reverend with the Zen Center of Orange County in Costa Mesa.