Though I did not encounter the historical Buddha in person (unless I did in a forgotten past life), the Buddha is the master who transformed my life the most. My first encounter with the Buddha was catching sight of his smiling image as a kid – in the form of a small statue sitting on the top of my fridge at home. Every morning, I would eat breakfast while looking at him. His smile was perfect – it had both compassion and wisdom – though I couldn’t identify these qualities with it then. Despite changes in my mood, the coming and going of good and bad times, the smile was always there, always assuring, always kindly, always understanding, always appropriate.