Learning Buddhism: Relying on the Dharma or Relying on People

As long as one does not engage in personality cults, does not revere any single individual, and can contemplate and practice the Buddha's Dharma in accordance with reality as it truly is, that is taking refuge in the Dharma. Taking refuge in the Dharma is difficult. With some profound dharmas, if one's meditative concentration (samādhi) is insufficient, one cannot contemplate and realize them through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). At such times, the vast majority of people choose to rely on persons—relying on those who already have fame and reputation, believing that someone widely recognized by the majority must surely be without error. But do we even know who these "majority of people" actually are, or who the vast majority of people actually are? In the Saha world, is not what fills the earth and sky everywhere simply ordinary worldlings (pṛthagjana)? Are the wisdom and cognition of worldlings really that reliable? Even for those with shallow meditative concentration and wisdom, is their wisdom and cognition reliable? Are sages and absolute truth elected by vote? Relying on persons is still overwhelmingly common. No matter how earnestly the Buddha admonished us to rely on the Dharma, when wisdom, merit, and meditative concentration are insufficient, one simply cannot rely on the Dharma and can only rely on persons. Those with great fame, of course, enjoy the limelight.