If an alien were to observe humans,
one of their characteristics readily seen
would be that we seem superficial,
rather physically surfacy creatures.
Yet, if the alien further observes,
and sees the intangible,
‘under the skin’,
there is un/conditional kindness and empathy too.
We should not be so superficial,
that we quickly assume others are superficial,
as all sentient beings have Buddha-nature,
whether they have realised it or not.
As long as we (humans and aliens) do not know this,
we are ‘aliens’ to ourselves too,
alienated from our Buddha-nature,
our truest and thus actual nature.
The true (non-sci-fi) existential horror
is to see only the superficial,
and thus be only superficial,
to keep missing the ‘Buddhas’ within.
