Miscellaneous Discussions on Buddhism (Part One)
Chapter 7: The Buddha Dharma and Non-Buddhist Paths
I. Two Paths for Cultivation to Attain Buddhahood and Reach Nirvana
There are two paths for studying Buddhism and engaging in cultivation. What are these two paths? The first path is like that of the first Buddha, King of Majestic Sound (Vairocana Buddha), who possessed resolute wisdom and courage, daring to explore the truth, relying little or not at all on the theories of others, developing his own potential for wisdom, and attaining the achievement of wisdom. The second path is to diligently realize and verify the truth based on accepting existing theories, thereby attaining the achievement of wisdom.
The first Buddha, in the primitive era of the world, before any truth had been discovered, relied solely on immense perseverance and indomitable courage to explore the truth, pioneering and opening up boundless wilderness to establish the Buddha lands of the ten directions. Similarly, like the Pratyekabuddha who appears when there is no Buddha in the world, a single doubt concerning worldly phenomena can stimulate the seeds of past-life good roots and Bodhicitta, inspiring one to resolve to explore the origins and destination of sentient beings' lives, seeking out the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and the Ten Links of Dependent Origination, thereby realizing the source of life: one being the unreal ignorance, the other being the real Eighth Consciousness (Alaya-vijñāna).
Truth is the objective law, truth is the objectively existing principle, truth is the reality of how the world operates, truth is the irrefutable fact, truth is the law that does not shift according to anyone's will, truth is the guiding light leading sentient beings to liberation, truth is the vessel carrying sentient beings to the other shore. Truth inherently exists; it merely awaits discovery. King of Majestic Sound Buddha, with immense good roots and courage, embarked on the arduous path of exploring truth, thereby discovering and proving all truths of the mundane and supramundane, paving a path to truth for future generations. Those descendants aspiring for liberation, following this path, can reach the endpoint of liberation.
King of Majestic Sound Buddha has already opened the path leading to liberation and nirvana for future generations. Later people need not blaze their own unique trail or independently develop a path to Buddhahood. However, while following the already revealed path of truth, there may still be branching, winding side paths where one might lose the way or fail to see the guideposts. This requires each individual to emulate King of Majestic Sound Buddha’s courage and wisdom in exploring truth, daring to practice and explore until they break through difficulties and step onto the great path.
The second path of Buddhist cultivation is to accept the truths already discovered by the Buddhas, and then strive to verify one by one that these truths are indeed correct principles, that they can be personally realized, discovered, and repeated. Thus, the wisdom and liberation attained would be equivalent to that of the Buddhas who first discovered the truth. Why, after accepting, understanding, and comprehending the truth, must one still verify it? The first Buddha is the one who explored and discovered the truth. In the process of exploration, each discovery was proof. Therefore, when King of Majestic Sound Buddha discovered the truth, he could declare it to be truth, saying, "I have proven it." So, can the second Buddha, subsequent Buddhas, and sentient beings in future times, having understood the truth discovered by the first Buddha, say "I have discovered the truth, the truth is indeed like this"? Certainly not. Faith is not equivalent to realization; it does not mean one has attained the same wisdom. Only through re-experimentation and proof can one understand the reason why, thereby also attaining wisdom. Only then can it be considered that one has mastered the truth and attained the truth.
What do the words "indeed" or "truly" (確實) represent? They represent having personally proven it, having actually experienced it, having experimented with it. Only what has been experimented with, conforming to the understood truth, consistent with the premise, leaving no doubt in the mind, having severed the bonds of ignorance, can one say "it is indeed so." At this point, the wisdom is equal to that of the first Buddha. But is the path taken the same as that of the first Buddha? Is the cost paid, the hardships endured, the same as those of the first Buddha? They are not the same. The pioneer who opens up new territory is the most hardworking, pays the highest price, and experiences the most.
Throughout the infinite time and space of the ten directions, there is only one King of Majestic Sound Buddha, with no second or third. What good roots, merit, wisdom, perseverance, courage, fortitude, and other qualities that ordinary people lack did the first pioneer possess? In terms of great truths, macrocosmic truths, although none can surpass the first Buddha, in specific, microcosmic truths, every sentient being can fully explore and discover for themselves. It is not necessary to rely entirely on all Buddhas and World-Honored Ones for everything. However, only those with profound good roots, merit, and wisdom can do this.
The Buddha Dharma left behind by Śākyamuni Buddha in the Saha world is only as much as the dirt under a fingernail, while the Dharma not yet left to sentient beings is as vast as the earth's soil. There are still extremely many truths that require sentient beings with great resolve and great wisdom to develop, excavate, and explore. As long as it is truth, as long as it is fact, regardless of whether the Buddha spoke of it or not, left it behind or not, truth is truth, fact is fact; it does not depend on the Buddha's attitude. Of course, the Buddha would never deny truth or ignore the reality of facts.
As long as we learn King of Majestic Sound Buddha’s mode of thinking, his way of exploring truth, his methods of handling problems, as well as his personality, character, and Bodhisattva qualities, accumulate good roots, merit, and wisdom like his, and are further guided by the light of the Buddhas and the Buddha Dharma, we can certainly develop even more subtle and detailed truths. Faith is also a manifestation of good roots, merit, and wisdom. Possessing these three, one is invincible and will certainly realize all truths sooner or later.
II. During the Buddha's time, there were ninety-six kinds of non-Buddhist paths (外道, tirthika). Their practice primarily focused on asceticism. They renounced all worldly affairs. Our current study of Buddhism falls far short of their diligence and spirit of enduring hardship. They left their homes, lived in the mountains, and endured extreme hardships in food, clothing, shelter, and travel. Some even ate grass or cow dung, some deliberately starved themselves until they were emaciated. They did this solely to exhaust their karma, believing that once karma was exhausted, they could escape the cycle of rebirth. However, this is a wrong view, specifically the misconception of precepts and vows (戒禁取見, śīla-vrata-parāmarśa). They renounced everything; their worldly minds were completely gone, renounced utterly and completely. But did they achieve anything? The Buddha said, can that kind of karma cultivated through asceticism ever be exhausted? If the renunciate ascetic practices of the non-Buddhists could lead to attainment, Śākyamuni Buddha would not have needed to come so arduously from the Land of Constant Stillness and Light (常寂光土), manifest the eight phases of attaining Buddhahood (八相成道) in the human world, and labor for forty-nine years to liberate sentient beings.
When the World-Honored One first renounced the world, he followed a non-Buddhist teacher, practicing asceticism and the four dhyānas and eight samādhis (四禪八定). After the Buddha mastered the four dhyānas and eight samādhis, he realized this was not the Path; it could not give birth to wisdom or lead to Buddhahood. He then abandoned asceticism, sat under the Bodhi tree, contemplated the Dharma, and upon seeing the morning star, awakened and attained Buddhahood. Therefore, cultivation requires correct theory as guidance; it is not something that can be achieved simply by the simplistic idea of renunciation alone. We need to know *why* to renounce, *what* to renounce, and *how* to renounce. We must cultivate according to the methods taught by the Buddha; we cannot recklessly follow some individual's unique way or theoretical method. All our cultivation theories and principles must accord with the Buddha's teachings to achieve success, because the Buddha is the one who has already attained. His taught methods are entirely correct and without error; those of others are not – they are like feeling for stones to cross a river, fundamentally unable to cross it. Departing from the Buddha's teachings and scriptures, one will achieve nothing. Disciples of the Buddha, remember this!
III. Why is it that the non-Buddhists during the time of the World-Honored One, who had not taken refuge and had not received precepts, were able to attain the fruit of Arhatship upon hearing the World-Honored One preach the Dharma, and some could even enter nirvana right then and there? Each Buddha, upon attaining Buddhahood and liberating sentient beings, acts like putting on a play; he needs a troupe, a complete set of personnel to cooperate with the World-Honored One in performing the play. The World-Honored One cannot perform a solo act. Before descending to the human world, while in the Inner Court of Tuṣita Heaven (兜率內院), the World-Honored One began arranging the stage, sending many people to be born into the human world beforehand to await his descent.
They came to be born in the human world, distributed among all social strata, every corner, even within the ninety-six kinds of non-Buddhist paths. They manifested within the non-Buddhist paths, leading non-Buddhists in practice, serving as an influential group. The World-Honored One, according to conditions, would manifest to guide them into the Buddhist path. After entering the Buddhist path, some became the World-Honored One's right and left hands, assisting him in spreading the Dharma. Some were guided by the World-Honored One only when he was about to enter nirvana, thereby influencing a large number of non-Buddhist disciples to enter the Buddhist path, demonstrating the supremacy of the Buddha Dharma. These non-Buddhists were not merely Arhats manifesting; there were also great Bodhisattvas manifesting. Only at the very end did the World-Honored One reveal their true identities. Therefore, they were able to quickly realize the fruits when the World-Honored One preached the Dharma to liberate them.
The second reason is that the non-Buddhists of that time all desired liberation from the cycle of rebirth, to transcend life and death; their renunciation mind was very strong, only lacking the correct method of practice. Most of them had withdrawn from worldly life; the Five Hindrances (五蓋, pañca nīvaraṇāni) had already been eliminated; profound meditative concentrations (dhyāna) had already arisen; the Four Dhyānas and Eight Samādhis were all fully attained. Therefore, their innate capacity was excellent. Although they had not received the Five Precepts, in their bodily, verbal, and mental conduct, there was fundamentally no phenomenon of violating precepts. They only lacked the final wisdom of contemplative insight (觀行智慧); this required the World-Honored One to guide them with the correct principles of liberation.
Based on the above reasons, when they listened to the World-Honored One explain the path to liberation, the wisdom of liberation could manifest, and they quickly attained the corresponding fruits. It may seem easy, but in reality, they had also cultivated for a very long time, paid a great price, abandoned all worldly affairs, and single-mindedly sought liberation from life and death. Now, if we wish to realize the fruit and attain liberation, we should examine whether our own conditions are sufficient: Do we have the renunciation mind? How much have we renounced worldly affairs within our minds? How is our meditative concentration? To what degree is our mind purified? How much do we still lack compared to the non-Buddhists?
If our minds are not as pure as those of the non-Buddhists, then we must follow the sequence of liberation practice taught by the World-Honored One, cultivate the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment (三十七道品, bodhipakṣikā dharmaḥ), and practice well these auxiliary methods for gradual cultivation before we can realize the Path. This includes taking refuge in the Three Jewels (三寶), receiving and upholding pure precepts, thereby restraining our body and mind, enabling our minds to become pure and attain concentration (定, samādhi). In our current Dharma-ending age (末法時代), people's minds are turbid and evil, heavily defiled, information is chaotic and excessive, mental distractions are extremely heavy, making it very difficult to achieve stillness. Thus, cultivating concentration is very difficult. Generally, concentration power is insufficient, incomparable to the non-Buddhists during the Buddha's time. To realize the fruit is truly a great difficulty. The World-Honored One said that in the Period of the True Dharma (正法時期), sentient beings could attain liberation by upholding precepts. In the Dharma-ending age, merely upholding precepts cannot lead to liberation, let alone if one does not receive or uphold precepts – then liberation is even more impossible.
Many people not only uphold the Five Precepts and the Eight Precepts of the Uposatha (八關齋戒), but also strictly uphold the Bodhisattva Precepts, yet they still cannot even glimpse the shadow of liberation. This is because these people do not uphold the precepts with their minds; their minds lack the precepts, they merely use their bodies to uphold them, while their minds still greedily cling to worldly phenomena. This makes it very difficult to cultivate concentration, and thus they cannot have the wisdom of contemplative insight. How could they possibly achieve anything? Therefore, we cannot look at those non-Buddhists who attained the fruits without taking refuge or receiving precepts and think we can do the same without taking refuge or receiving precepts. We cannot go against the World-Honored One's teachings. This will not work; our foundational capacities are far inferior to those non-Buddhists. Although we study the inner path of Buddhism, our mental dispositions are completely different. We should still follow the World-Honored One's teachings, first cultivate the preparatory dharmas (次法), the auxiliary methods of the Path (助道之法), strictly observe the precepts, take refuge in the Three Jewels, and rely on the blessings of the Three Jewels and the Dharma-protecting dragons and devas (護法龍天) to attain liberation.
IV. There are many religions in the world, but none can enable sentient beings to escape the suffering of the cycle of life and death; they are merely spiritual beliefs, for they lack the essential content upon which sentient beings can rely to attain liberation. Buddhism is not like this. Buddhism is the education that teaches sentient beings to recognize the true nature of life as it is. The Buddha came arduously to this Saha world of five turbidities (五濁惡世), spread the Dharma and liberated sentient beings for forty-nine years, enabling sentient beings to understand the essential meaning of life from various different perspectives, to understand the source and destination of life. Sentient beings who practice according to this can come to recognize the meaning of their own lives and the lives of all sentient beings, and recognize the root cause of the cycle of life and death throughout countless kalpas.
Therefore, they will awaken their own minds and thus seek the source of their own lives, to completely liberate themselves from the suffering of life and death, embarking on the path to ultimate liberation, and ultimately perfect their own merit and wisdom, becoming a completely enlightened World-Honored One. Moreover, they will lead countless billions of sentient beings to similarly escape the cycle of life and death, perfectly realize all dharmas, and attain the unsurpassed great nirvana. Other religions primarily focus on guiding people towards goodness, being good people, doing good deeds, being kind to others, with the ultimate goal being rebirth in heaven to enjoy blessings. However, once the blessings are exhausted, they still fall into the three evil destinies to suffer. Those religions do not involve the Six Paths of Rebirth, do not reveal to sentient beings the existence of the Six Paths of Rebirth, nor do they know the root cause of the Six Paths of Rebirth. Therefore, they cannot enable sentient beings to rely on them to escape the suffering of the cycle of life and death within the Six Paths.
