Is Mahayana the Buddha's Teaching?

The debate over whether Mahayana Buddhism is the authentic teaching of the Buddha rages fiercely and incessantly on online forums. Those who deny that Mahayana is the Buddha's word are primarily practitioners of Theravada Buddhism, often referred to as Hinayana practitioners. They mainly study the Agama Sutras and emphasize observing precepts and cultivating meditative concentration. However, if one does not believe Mahayana was spoken by the Buddha himself, they naturally reject the doctrine of Tathāgatagarbha (Buddha-nature), thereby indirectly negating the principles of karma and rebirth.

Where does karma originate? It is, of course, realized through the Tathāgatagarbha. Why does the cycle of rebirth in the six realms occur? It is because the Tathāgatagarbha is indestructible; it carries the karmic seeds and, together with the mental faculty (manas), proceeds to future lives, manifesting the resultant body in subsequent existences.

For those with virtuous roots, merit, and wisdom, whether Mahayana is the Buddha's word requires no verification. The correctness or incorrectness of the Dharma becomes abundantly clear upon reading it twice and reflecting on it. Is there any need for verification? Those who insist on verification are individuals of very low wisdom, lacking virtuous roots and merit. For over two thousand years, no one has been able to verify a result or provide proof that Mahayana is not the Buddha's word but a later fabrication. What later individual could fabricate such a sublime Dharma? If someone could, their wisdom would be equal to the Buddha's, which is truly extraordinary.

Theravada Buddhists study the Pali Agamas and are generally more diligent, hardworking, and genuinely committed to practice than people in Han Chinese regions. However, if they deny Mahayana and reject the existence of Tathāgatagarbha, their virtuous roots and merit are extremely shallow. No matter how they practice, they will not attain realization (fruition). Because they do not believe the Buddha's words, they lack sufficient faith in the Three Jewels and inadequate faith in the Buddha. Consequently, their Three Refuges and Five Precepts are incomplete, and they cannot attain realization. If these Theravada practitioners have no one who has attained realization and their lineage is flawed, then those who follow them, including people in Han regions, will also be unable to attain realization.

Although Theravada places great emphasis on precepts and meditative concentration, by denying Mahayana, their observance of precepts is deficient, and their meditative concentration cannot be very high. Moreover, denying Mahayana means they lack the blessings and power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Relying solely on their own strength, no matter how they practice, they will achieve no accomplishment. During the Buddha's time, non-Buddhist adherents later came to deeply believe in the Buddha and his teachings. Because they had faith in the Three Jewels, their Three Refuges and Five Precepts were complete. Combined with their high level of meditative concentration, upon hearing the Buddha's teachings, they were able to attain realization, even up to the fourth fruition (Arhatship). Yet, Theravada practitioners who deny Mahayana cannot attain realization.

Theravada followers who deny Mahayana and Tathāgatagarbha truly possess inferior wisdom. By contemplating and analyzing the origin of their own five aggregates (skandhas), they should understand: without an indestructible Tathāgatagarbha, how can there be life after life? How can there be the cycle of birth and death? If there is no indestructible Dharma, what meaning is there in the cultivation done in one lifetime? Where are the seeds of practice stored? Without a repository for these seeds, how can there be the karmic results of practice in future lives?

Some people, thinking Theravada Buddhism is good, follow its teachings. In terms of meditative concentration and precepts, Theravada Buddhism is indeed quite commendable. However, overall, within the Buddhadharma, it lacks a strong pillar, a substantial Dharma to support it. It is like a castle in the air; practicing it is useless. Not only is it useless, but it also plants the evil karmic seeds of nihilism (uccheda-dṛṣṭi) in the field of the Ālayavijñāna (storehouse consciousness). In future lives, when these seeds sprout, one remains a nihilist, sinking into the three lower realms (hell, hungry ghost, animal) to suffer endlessly. Therefore, those who follow Theravada Buddhism must open their eyes wide, carefully contemplate its flaws and consequences, and quickly withdraw to avoid future suffering. If one propagates Theravada Buddhism, which denies Mahayana Dharma and espouses nihilism, influencing others, the offense is extremely grave, potentially leading to karmic retribution in hell. The consequences of karma are truly fearsome; be cautious, be cautious.

Those people, when they read Mahayana Dharma, cannot decipher its true meaning. They are utterly confused, not understanding what the Buddha is talking about. Because they cannot comprehend it, they vehemently deny it again and again – foolish and pitiable, precisely because they lack virtuous roots and merit. Those people often boast about how high their meditative concentration is; many claim to have attained the fourth dhyāna, yet it's unlikely they have even reached the first dhyāna. However, they do emphasize practice and are very diligent. Their male monastics are far superior to those in our Han regions; they are very diligent. The male monastics in our Han regions are too lax; they only know how to perform rituals for the deceased to earn money and do not understand genuine cultivation.

Therefore, anyone who goes to temples seeking rituals for the deceased not only harms the ordained monks but also harms the entire Buddhist community. If monastics do not cultivate, Buddhism will perish. After performing these rituals, how could they possibly have the energy or mental state to apply themselves diligently to the Buddhadharma? Everyone says monastics today are not like before, that the atmosphere for practice in monasteries is poor. But who caused this consequence? Who introduced worldly customs and afflictive habits into the monasteries? Who polluted the monastic environment for cultivation? Who deprived the monks of the time and energy for cultivation?

If Theravada Buddhists cannot understand Mahayana Dharma, then they cannot fully understand Hinayana Dharma either. Therefore, they cannot attain realization. Within the Hinayana Dharma, the World-Honored One also taught about the existence of the eighth consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha, though the language used is more implicit, not expressed very directly. By denying Mahayana, they indirectly deny Hinayana as well, rendering their observance of the Buddha's precepts incomplete and leaving them without hope of liberation.