Taking Refuge in the Buddha Is the Surest Safeguard

All phenomena are empty, and objects are also devoid of inherent existence within this emptiness. Everything is empty, including vehicles of all models and types, yet these empty vehicles perform so many wondrous functions. Hands too are empty, yet they type so many words—this is indeed strange. Some may say it is the Tathagatagarbha that types, all being the wondrous functioning of the Tathagatagarbha. Well then, you might as well go to sleep and let the Tathagatagarbha type and drive. If all daily work were done by the Tathagatagarbha, you could sleep all day, letting the Tathagatagarbha work day after day, year after year, lifetime after lifetime—you need not even be born. To obliterate conventional truth and completely replace it with ultimate truth entails grave faults. Without conventional truth, ultimate truth is utterly incapable and ineffective; how could it possibly function in this or that manner?

In learning Buddhism, we must practice according to the Dharma taught by the Buddha. The Buddha possesses supreme wisdom, having personally practiced and realized all Dharmas—only then do they count. If the Buddha states that attaining fruition requires practicing in a certain way, then we must heed the Buddha's words and practice precisely so. Do not invent your own methods, nor regard anyone else's teachings as authoritative. Taking refuge in the Buddha is the most reliable course, for the Buddha has no self-mind, does not assert a self, and does not lead the blind astray.

Those who genuinely wish to achieve realization through learning Buddhism should not seek shortcuts or easy paths. If shortcuts existed, the Buddha would certainly have told us; he would not make us take detours or lead us in circles. Complete faith in the Buddha is the most fundamental principle in learning Buddhism—faith serves as the guiding force. If the Buddha cannot be trusted, then there exists no one else worthy of trust—not even those at the stage of supreme enlightenment or wonderful enlightenment, let alone ordinary people. If someone's teachings contradict the Buddha's, we must make a clear choice: without doubt, choose to believe the Buddha.

Those who seek shortcuts harbor a mentality of greed and craving—a mindset rooted in seeking. Where there is greed, one becomes easily ensnared by demons, exploited by them, becoming a demonic adherent, gradually departing from the Buddhist path and failing to attain liberation. Embracing the mindset of elevating oneself, transforming oneself, enriching oneself, maturing oneself, and perfecting oneself in the practice of learning Buddhism enables one to stay far from demonic affairs, progressing steadily and securely. Though it may seem slow, this is actually the swiftest path. Impatience and rash advancement yield opposite results, leading to outcomes contrary to one's wishes.