if you see the Buddha in the road . . .
if you see the pope?
no one who is pope is at the level of thinking they are like 'the Buddha'.
the paradox of Buddhism seems to me that if you really thought all could be that, then why would any one particular person be more important, and especially if it's based upon them being a reincarnated person. And how would they know this?
The big flaw in Buddhism: you are not 'the one'.
'the one' includes everyone else, too.
so Buddhism is assume in a mythic sense,something that people know and do, that happens when they are living and birthing. They believe in themselves and in those around them and say 'we are all that'. which is different from institutional Buddhism which says 'we are the important people who know who the next incarnation will be and we expect you to let us come in and do what we want and it's unseemly and creepy then deal, because 'he' is the gawdhead and you are not.
Catholics all know that the pope is just some dude who was a head nodding agreer and did what the adults said.
and we get a pope now who isn't really the vicar of Christ.
I do not know a Catholic who would have any heart ache at the point of, crimes revealed, pope must step aside. We all know that he was installed as a puppet by the forces of . . . and this is the part were I have no sauce but can only say that I think . . . that he was installed by the forces of . . .
and yet I leave it blank because if you don't know, then you aren't yet ready to know. But the conclusion: the pope we have now really isn't 'the vicar of Christ'
this is opinion without sauce but I feel (more feelz) that most Catholics respect the institution of The Vatican as a part of governance, however they would like it to not be a center of activist gays and socialist child-groomers.