True Reliance on the Dharma, Not on Individuals: Not Even the Buddha

From the Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra, Chapter 14: The Assembly on Entering the Womb Treasury, Original Text: The Buddha said: “(The Tathāgata) is the Knower of the Path. The Discerner of the Path. The Expounder of the Path. The Opener of the Path. The Great Guide. The Tathāgata. The One Perfectly Enlightened. The One Endowed with Wisdom and Conduct. The Well-Gone One. The Knower of the World. The Unsurpassed One. The Tamer of Men. The Teacher of Gods and Humans. The Buddha, the World-Honored One. People of the world are ignorant and faithless, constantly enslaved by the six senses. They see only what is in the palm of their hand, failing to perceive the great benefit. They neglect what is easy to practice and persistently engage in what is difficult. Nanda, stop! Such is the realm of wisdom. You should now observe with your physical eyes. Knowing that what is seen is all illusory is called liberation. Nanda, do not believe me. Do not follow my desires. Do not rely on my words. Do not contemplate my form. Do not adopt the views of any śramaṇa. Do not revere any śramaṇa. Do not say, ‘The śramaṇa Gautama is my master.’ Instead, rely solely upon what I have personally realized, the Dhamma I have attained. Dwell alone in a quiet place, contemplating and observing it. Practice it diligently and constantly. Focus your mind on the Dhamma you observe. Then, through that Dhamma, your contemplation will be accomplished. Dwell with right mindfulness. Be an island unto yourself. Be your own refuge. Let the Dhamma be your island. Let the Dhamma be your refuge. There is no other island. There is no other refuge.”  

Explanation: The Buddha said that the Tathāgata is one who profoundly knows the path to be cultivated, the one who expounds the path, the one who opens the way for cultivating the path, the great guide of the world, the Tathāgata, the One Perfectly Enlightened, the One Endowed with Wisdom and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. People of the world are ignorant and lack the root of faith; they are constantly enslaved by the six senses. They can only see the small benefit in the palm of their hand, failing to see the greater benefit. They neglect the easy task of cultivating the path, yet perpetually engage in the difficult deeds of the suffering karma of birth and death. Nanda, stop speaking for now. Regarding such a realm of wisdom, you should now observe the Dhamma seen with the physical eye, and you will know that all dharmas seen are illusory. This is called liberation. Nanda, do not believe what I say. Do not follow my thoughts. Do not rely on my words. Do not contemplate my form. Do not adopt the views held by any śramaṇa. Do not revere any śramaṇa. Do not say, ‘The śramaṇa Gautama is my master.’ But you must diligently contemplate and observe, alone in a quiet place, the Dhamma I have personally realized and attained. Practice it diligently and constantly. If you can practice the Dhamma you observe with great diligence, you will accomplish the contemplation of that Dhamma. The Dhamma personally contemplated and accomplished is the Dhamma personally realized. From then on, you will dwell in the Dhamma with right mindfulness. In this way, you yourself can be the island, you yourself are the refuge. The Dhamma you have personally realized is the island, is the refuge. There is no other island. There is no other refuge.

 The Buddha spoke these words brilliantly, telling disciples that they must attain realization, relying on the Dhamma personally verified, and not blindly believe in or rely upon external dharmas that have not been verified. Regardless of what the Dhamma is, regardless of who spoke it, one must examine and test it. Only after examination and verification can one believe in and rely upon it. Even the Dhamma spoken by the Buddha himself must be constantly examined and contemplated; only after personal verification can one fully rely upon it. This is called relying on the Dharma, not on the person. Even the Buddha need not be relied upon; one must rely on the Dharma, on truth, on facts. If one relies without verification, it is blind reliance that does not give rise to wisdom. In contrast, sentient beings in the Dharma-ending age have little merit and lack wisdom; they feel compelled to rely on people. As long as someone becomes famous, gains renown, they attach themselves without principle to gain a sense of belonging. They lack the ability to examine and discern the Dhamma, being entirely governed by emotional attachment. Those who always hold some treatise as absolute truth should wake up. Judging the correctness of the Dhamma based on the fame of a person is complete reliance on the person; it is not right faith. Right faith, as taught by the Buddha, requires examination and contemplation, testing and verification. Only if it is factual can it be taken as truth and relied upon. If one cannot verify or realize it, then one should absolutely refrain from making judgments, lest one create the evil karma of slandering the Triple Gem.