Some people think that one can become a buddha through meditation. This is
wrong. The potential for Buddhahood is within your own nature. If it were
true that Buddhahood depended on meditation, then if you stopped meditating
after you became a buddha, you would become a common person again. The
objective of practice is to be in accord with the natural way, so that your
true nature can manifest itself. Just practice according to the methods
taught by the Buddha and do not worry about being a success.
–Master Sheng-Yen, from “Being Natural,” Tricycle, Summer 1995