The Difference Between Buddhist Dharma and Worldly Dharmas

The Dharma is the method that guides sentient beings toward liberation, enabling them to be freed from the cycle of birth and death. Worldly dharmas include various methods outside the Buddhist path, such as those of Confucianism and Daoism, which cannot guide sentient beings toward liberation nor free them from birth and death. Only the Dharma speaks of the illusory and empty nature of the world, of the emptiness of true reality, and teaches that liberation is attained through realizing emptiness. Methods outside the Buddhist path mostly speak of existence; even when they mention emptiness, it is only a partial emptiness, a superficial emptiness. The emptiness they describe is not ultimate even within the worldly context, let alone the transcendental emptiness of true reality. Emptiness leads to liberation; existence is bondage. The Dharma is the unattached, empty method of liberation, while non-Buddhist methods are methods of bondage, methods of existence and attachment, methods that seek something.

The Dharma is the Dharma; non-Buddhist methods are non-Buddhist methods. Their thoughts and views differ. If they were the same, non-Buddhist methods would not be non-Buddhist methods; they would also be called the Dharma. If Laozi had attained enlightenment and the method he transmitted could liberate sentient beings, then the Buddha would not have needed to come to this world—it would have been superfluous. The common ground between non-Buddhist methods and the Dharma lies in meditation and worldly virtues. However, their thoughts, views, and levels of realization differ. The Dharma teaches that the world is illusory and unreal; it teaches emptiness. Non-Buddhist methods teach existence; they practice meditation and virtuous deeds based on existence, thus failing to realize emptiness and unable to liberate themselves from the five aggregates.

Although some worldly dharmas contain terms like "primordial source," these refer only to superficial aspects, belonging to a worldly, secular understanding of origin and source. Their conception of the source still involves existence, not emptiness, and does not touch upon the true substance of all dharmas or the fundamental source of birth and death. Worldly dharmas are not truly enlightened methods; if they were, they would be called the Dharma.