Chapter 9   Buddhism and Heterodox Paths

1. Why Heterodox Practitioners Attained the Fruits, Even the Fourth Fruit, Upon First Hearing the Buddha's Teaching

Heterodox practitioners had already cultivated the Four Dhyanas and Eight Samadhis, subduing and eliminating defilements arising from discriminative thinking to varying degrees. They lacked only the wisdom of insight into the Four Noble Truths; the conditions for realizing the Path were nearly complete, as the saying goes, "all is ready except for the east wind." This "east wind" refers to the cause and condition for realizing the Path. Once this condition arose, they immediately realized the Path. The condition for their realization was the Buddha's exposition of the Four Noble Truths. Those who fulfilled the conditions for the First Fruit attained the First Fruit; those who fulfilled the conditions for the Second Fruit attained the Second Fruit; those who fulfilled the conditions for the Third Fruit attained the Third Fruit; those who fulfilled the conditions for the Fourth Fruit attained the Fourth Fruit. Therefore, the fruit attained by each person upon hearing the Buddha's teaching differed, based on the variance in their conditions for realizing the Path.

Realizing the Path is like eating the seventh pancake. The heterodox practitioners had already eaten six pancakes and were seventy to eighty percent full, but not completely satiated. Upon hearing the Buddha explain the Four Noble Truths, they ate the seventh pancake and became fully satiated at once. The first six pancakes were the foundation, providing a base in the stomach; adding one more pancake filled it completely. Do not merely look at the final result others achieve; observe the arduous process of their cultivation and the amount of sweat they diligently expended. Had they not paid a great price, had they not diligently cultivated the Four Dhyanas and Eight Samadhis, they would not have the foundation of the six pancakes. Even if given another six pancakes, they likely still could not become satiated and realize the Path. Some say that disciples realized the Path instantly in the brief exchange of questions and answers with the Buddha, a matter of mere minutes, seemingly very easy, without such hardship and trouble. But one should understand that the merit of realizing the Path in those few minutes was accumulated from the immeasurable wholesome roots and merit of the Buddha's disciples. How long did each spend eating those six pancakes? How much hardship did they endure? What price did they pay in past lives and this present life?

Many envy athletes who win gold medals in a single competition – international gold, national gold – thinking how fortunate they are, completely overlooking their years of relentless struggle, the sweat and tears they shed, the rest time they sacrificed, the physical toll they paid, even the cost to their life and health, the grievances they endured, all to seize the gold medal in that one competition. In worldly or transcendental matters, is anything so easy? Is realizing the fruit like eating Chinese cabbage? Through countless eons of birth and death, evil karma accumulates like mountains, binding and entangling. How could one possibly destroy so much karmic obstruction from countless eons of birth and death, eliminate the karma leading to the three evil destinies, in just a few minutes or hours? One wouldn't even dream of such good fortune. Otherwise, why would there be boundless sentient beings trapped in birth and death, rather than boundless Buddhas?

2. The Distinction Between the Buddha-Dharma and Worldly Dharmas

The Buddha-Dharma is the method that guides sentient beings to liberation, enabling them to be freed from birth and death. Worldly Dharmas include various methods outside the Buddha Path, such as Confucian and Taoist methods. These methods cannot guide sentient beings towards liberation; they cannot free sentient beings from birth and death. Only the Buddha-Dharma speaks of the illusory emptiness of the world, the emptiness of true reality; realizing emptiness leads to liberation. Methods outside the Buddha Path mostly speak of existence. Even when they speak of emptiness, it is only partial emptiness, superficial emptiness. The emptiness spoken of in the world is not ultimate; moreover, it lacks the transcendental emptiness of true reality. Emptiness leads to liberation; existence is bondage. The Buddha-Dharma is the unattached, desireless Dharma of emptiness that liberates. Heterodox methods are the Dharmas of existence that bind, the Dharmas of desire.

The Buddha-Dharma is the Buddha-Dharma; heterodox methods are heterodox methods. Their ideologies and concepts differ. If they were the same, heterodox methods would not be heterodox methods; they would also be called the Buddha-Dharma. Some say Laozi was also an enlightened sage. But if Laozi was enlightened, and the method he transmitted could also liberate sentient beings, then the Buddha would not have needed to come to the human world; it would have been superfluous. The commonality between heterodox methods and the Buddha-Dharma lies in meditative concentration (dhyana/samadhi) and worldly goodness. Their ideologies, concepts, and realms are different. The Buddha-Dharma teaches that the world is illusory and unreal; it teaches emptiness. Heterodox methods teach existence; they practice meditative concentration and wholesome dharmas based on existence. Therefore, no matter how excellent their meditative concentration or how good their heart, they cannot realize emptiness and are unable to liberate themselves from the Five Aggregates.

Although some worldly methods may have terms like "source" or "origin," these refer only to superficial aspects, belonging to a worldly nature of source and origin. The origin still implies existence; it is not empty and does not involve the essential and fundamental source of birth and death for all dharmas. Worldly methods are not truly enlightened methods; otherwise, worldly methods would be called the Buddha-Dharma.

3. Wholesome Dharmas Are Not the Path to Liberation

Question: Did Lei Feng eliminate the view of self? Was there still a sense of "I" in his mind? Did those who sacrificed themselves for others and died heroically eliminate the view of self? Was there still a sense of "I" in their minds?

Answer: The Buddha-Dharma is the method for learning from the Buddha, practicing, and attaining Buddhahood. Wholesome dharmas of the worldly path, wholesome dharmas of the human realm, are not the Buddha-Dharma. Heterodox paths also have wholesome dharmas. As long as the principle of liberation is not understood, wholesome dharmas cannot liberate sentient beings; they can only bring human and heavenly blessings. Once the merit is exhausted, they still cannot avoid the cycle of birth and death in the three evil destinies. To avoid the cycle of birth and death, one must also contemplate the bondage of birth and death inherent in wholesome dharmas, contemplate wholesome dharmas as empty, and not cling to wholesome dharmas with the mind; only then can liberation be attained.

Furthermore, the primary agent of liberation is the mind faculty (manas). One must completely eliminate all the manas's views of the Five Aggregates body as "self," all its incorrect and irrational views, so that not a single phenomenon among the Five Aggregates is seen as self or as real. Only then is there hope for liberation. Holding onto the view of self while practicing wholesome dharmas is still bondage to birth and death. It must be understood that the true mind-nature that is genuinely liberated never has a wholesome mind, does not practice wholesome dharmas, never has an unwholesome mind, does not practice unwholesome dharmas, never has a worldly mind, and does not practice worldly dharmas. Therefore, it is not bound by any of these dharmas; that is the mind of liberation. Being attached to wholesome dharmas or any particular dharma obstructs liberation.

4. The Distinction Between Buddhism and Heterodox Paths Regarding Views of Existence and Non-Existence

The "non-existence" view of heterodox paths: when the eye sees form, they say it is non-existent. But since it is non-existent, why is there speech? The "existence" view of heterodox paths: although all form is impermanent and empty, they say it is real and indestructible. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha is neither existent nor non-existent; it is not existent, not non-existent; it is both existent and non-existent; it is not non-existent, not not non-existent. To grasp one aspect and ignore the rest is a heterodox view. The Buddha-Dharma is always perfectly penetrating; whether explained one way or another, it is consistent and coherent. Heterodox theories, however, are always unable to be self-consistent and are self-contradictory.