Can the wisdom of the Buddhist Dharma be separated from the wisdom of worldly dharmas?

Ignorance (avidyā), by its meaning, is not understanding, not comprehending, including not understanding and not comprehending all dharmas. The Buddhas have severed all ignorance completely; they understand all supramundane dharmas and also understand all worldly dharmas—there is not a single dharma they do not understand. Take any dharma in worldly conventions and ask the Buddha; there is no dharma the Buddha does not understand and cannot answer. Therefore, if one is not versed in worldly conventions and does not know how to conduct oneself and handle affairs, that is ignorance, and one's understanding of the Buddha-dharma is also not thorough.

The Buddhas and the great bodhisattvas of the various bhūmis are not only versed in the Buddha-dharma but also simultaneously versed in worldly conventions. When they interact with sentient beings in the world, they understand the minds of sentient beings and understand worldly affairs; the choices they make do not violate worldly conventions, and thus they can broadly deliver sentient beings rather than being delivered by them.

To whatever degree one is versed in the Buddha-dharma, correspondingly one will be versed to that same degree in worldly dharmas. The Buddha-dharma and worldly dharmas complement each other; it is never said that one can accomplish the Buddha-dharma apart from worldly dharmas. If that were possible, then the Buddha-dharma would have nothing to do with worldly dharmas, but in fact the Buddha-dharma has never been separable from worldly dharmas—it is intimately connected with them. The Buddha-dharma can effectively guide worldly dharmas. If someone has very high wisdom in the Buddha-dharma yet repeatedly runs into walls in worldly matters, that shows this person is not truly versed in the Buddha-dharma and does not possess genuine wisdom of the Buddha-dharma; the so-called wisdom is merely dry wisdom.

The great bodhisattvas of the various bhūmis, up to and including the Buddhas, can all serve in the world as high officials, ministers, and monarchs, as well as wheel-turning sage kings and the lords of the various heavens. Their mastery of worldly dharmas is inevitable—otherwise, how could they serve as monarchs, wheel-turning sage kings, and lords of heavens? How could they manage and govern the mundane affairs of sentient beings? How could they win the trust of the multitude and lead the assembly?

Wisdom is interconnected; wisdom in the Buddha-dharma cannot exist independently apart from wisdom in worldly dharmas. The Buddha-dharma must be practiced within worldly dharmas; if one cannot practice it successfully in worldly dharmas, it shows that one has not truly penetrated the Buddha-dharma either, to the point of being unable to apply it to worldly dharmas. All realizations (adhigama) in the Buddha-dharma must be manifested through one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions in worldly dharmas. If one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions have not transformed toward purity, and one handles affairs imperfectly, it shows that this person's cultivation is still insufficient—the power of meditative concentration, the power of merit, and the power of wisdom are all inadequate. Therefore, there is no Buddha-dharma that can be manifested apart from worldly dharmas.