Studying Buddhism cannot be done in a superficial way. The greatest taboo in Buddhadharma is precisely treating spiritual practice as mere formality. Nor can it be treated merely as an academic discipline—although Buddhism does contain profound scholarship, it is by no means just a field of study. It has to be taken seriously and actually put into practice.
The miraculous stories, extraordinary states, and immensely sublime merits described in the Buddhist scriptures— which might appear unverifiable and unreliable from an ordinary worldly perspective— are, in fact, all real. However, attaining them requires us to investigate with utmost sincerity, even to the point of devoting one's entire lifetime. They can not be realized instantly by learning a few verses or picking up a couple of pitch instructions. That idea is frankly laughable.
Human beings are quite strange. There is a curious phenomenon: many people know that making money is difficult, earning a master’s degree is challenging, and attaining a high position or worldly success is far more easy—nothing comes effortlessly. In worldly matters, they are able to be tolerant of others and of themselves, and they generally accept that “eight or nine out of ten things in life do not go as one wishes.”
Yet when it comes to practicing the dharma, they expect results after just three days. Many people come and ask me, “I’ve been studying and contemplating dharma for seven or eight years, and I’ve completed the five preliminary practices three times—why haven’t I achieved any results yet?”
Who do you think you are? Even earning a PhD takes seventeen or eighteen years. Now you aim for Buddhahood and master over life and death, and after just three years and eight months of practice you already expect accomplishment?
This way of thinking is completely upside down. Worldly achievements are already this difficult—do you really think the ultimate spiritual accomplishment should be easy? You have practice for only two or three years, and you already demand profound states and abundant Dharma joy? Practice is not that easy. People have probably consumed too many miraculous stories and end up thinking it must be simple.
If you truly want genuine accomplishment, you really must renounce all worldly attachments in this lifetime. Some people want to give up nothing yet grasp everything—clinging to greed, hatred, and delusion—and still aspire to become a Buddha and transcend life and death. This is obviously sheer foolishness. It’s like a beggar wanting to be a king. Although human nature is fundamentally the same, the differences in circumstances arising from conditions are quite enormous.
In my hometown—a small mountain village, in Sichuan—there was actually someone who wanted to be king. He appointed Auntie Li from the east side of the village as the Eastern Consort, Auntie Wang next door as the Western Consort, gathered a whole group of “court officials,” made Uncle Zhang at the village entrance the prime minister, and assigned various other ministers as well. It was all very grand—until the local police station sent two or three armed officers over and easily “destroyed” this kingdom. That was like children playing make-believe. But studying Buddhism is not a game of pretend.
Renouncing attachment in this life is not easy. It truly requires enormous effort and the endurance of many hardships in practice. Some people ask, “Why was it so easy for the Sixth Patriarch?” Well—he was the Sixth Patriarch after all!
We always dwell in distinctions between self and others. Even if you truly have very superior capacity, you should still practice as if you were someone of very inferior capacity—this way, you won’t lose out. In this manner, cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta will never disadvantage you.
But if your faculties are dull and you immediately try to generate the mind abiding nowhere, the mind you give rise to will certainly be a foolish one.
Thus, those of high capacity who practice like those of low capacity are the truly formidable ones; while those of low capacity who try to act like those of high capacity are simply engaging in delusion—a joke that invites ridicule from those who know better. Everyone must pay close attention to this!
Why am I venting like this? Because I have received yet another wave of reproaches. Reproaches for what? “I’ve been listening to your teachings for so many years—why am I still stuck like this?” What does that have to do with me? Just because you have listened for many years, you expect to attain realization? I have been teaching for many years and have not attained anything myself, yet after listening for a few years you already expect attainment—so much so that you have made me “instantly lose my bodhicitta”! (Just kidding.)
What I’m trying to tell everyone is simply this: it’s not that easy—you really have to put in the effort! Once I say this, some people start wavering again: “Wow, this sounds hopeless! It’s so hard!” Brothers and sisters, this isn’t a question of hope or difficulty. It’s that there is no other road. In this human world, is there any other path? Apart from liberation, where else do you want to go? There is nowhere else to go!
If there were another road, honestly, with liberation being this difficult, I wouldn’t walk it either.
Ever since I stepped out into the world to make a living and earn money, my material circumstances have always been very comfortable—good enough that ordinary people would find such a life extremely pleasant. If I didn’t study Buddhism and engage in teaching the Dharma and benefiting beings, I could have lived very extravagantly.
All the “conditions for falling into hell” described in the scriptures—I meet them all. The lifestyles criticized by great masters—surfing in Malibu, riding fancy cars, keeping foreign-bred dogs—I’ve had all of them. Do you think I don’t know how to enjoy myself?
Then why do I choose to practice? Why do I still do so much study, contemplation, practice, and teaching? Because there’s no choice. Apart from this, there is no other road—we are all bound to die! I harbor no grand ambition to attain the Buddhahood. To be blunt, I’m just selfish: I’m afraid of death. After death, there’s nowhere left to go!
If someone says this is brainwashing, then it depends on what is used to wash the mind. Some wash with filthy sewage; some wash with medical-grade cleansing water. As for me, my mind has been washed by the water of Buddha’s wisdom.
So apart from this, there truly is no other way these are the words from the depth of my heart. Setting aside for the moment how precious and extraordinary a complete human rebirth is, if samsara really exists as the Buddha taught, do you have any other path? You can only keep walking this one. If you say you’re not afraid, it only shows that you do not believe it. Stick a needle into you and you’ll be scared—let alone a knife.
An online fellow practitioner said, “Rich people are all afraid of death!”
That is nonsense! Are poor people not afraid of death? As long as you are human, you are basically afraid of dying. Only two kinds of people are not: those who are in extreme pain, and those who hold wrong views. Why? The former suffer so intensely that they believe death will free them, so they are not afraid of it. The latter are filled with distorted views; people driven by extreme ideological impulses may not fear death.This has nothing to do with being rich or poor. All humans fear death—this fear arises from self-love and self-grasping.
Let’s not make this sound lofty or grand. To put it plainly and realistically: because death exists, there is no escape. There is no doubt that everyone knows for certain they will die. Therefore, while we are still alive, we must practice sincerely and wholeheartedly. Apart from this, there is no other path—we must keep this sentence firmly in mind!
People have all kinds of desires, and their standpoint keeps wavering. One moment they incline toward liberation; the next moment they switch to pursuing worldly life—“Wow, this is pretty good, happier and more enjoyable.” Your relatives and family members often try to “educate” you in this way: “Come back, worldly life is so joyful—don’t pursue liberation.”
They are operating from within their own worldview, using their own logic to guide you to do this or that. Most people cannot withstand such persuasion or pressure and thus end up complying with them in various ways.
So what is the Buddhist worldview? No matter how capable or how good you are, in the end you will die. And after death, there is rebirth. First of all, you should be afraid—and you should be genuinely afraid. Do not think that just because you have taken refuge, there is nothing to fear.
“The gates of hell are filled with monks as well. There are many monks and practitioners at the gates of hell.” This saying may sound exaggerated, but in reality, quite a few people who study Buddhism still end up falling into hell.Why? Because they never took it seriously. They never truly learned the real Dharma, nor did they genuinely practice it.
I’m not merely venting—I’m speaking from the heart, though admittedly there’s a bit of complaint mixed in. Therefore, do not assume that studying for a couple of days will allow you to establish anything substantial. Although it is very difficult, you still have to do it. In short, the first step is to engage in study and contemplation, and to establish the capacity for inner observation.
—Excerpted and compiled from The Eight Verses for Training the Mind, Lesson 4
This article is a preliminary translation draft and has not yet been reviewed or proofread by the speaker.
