What does it mean to practice Buddhism? It entails learning the methods on how to become a Buddha. The scope encompasses Dharmas both in the Liberation Way of the Arhat and Buddhahood-Way taught by Buddha during the second and third turning wheel of the Dharma.
How do you “practice” Buddhism? For most people who come across Buddhism for the first time, whether through reading related books or listening to preaching from some dharma teachers, this way of “cultivation” is likely to end up learning superficial knowledge of Buddhism in a leisurely manner only. In addition, the lack of proper direction and guidance concerning various stages and processes involved in Buddhist cultivation, one would rely on one’s acquired knowledge and personal experiences and take them all for granted. Sometimes, one would even reckon that one has already broken through with the contemplation of Buddhism, but in fact, one is merely spinning his own wheels in the vast ocean of Buddhism.
The following are fundamental criteria and principles about practicing Buddhism:
- Buddhism will never violate ethical or moral principles of this world.
- Being charitable is not the only connotation of Buddhism as there are countless dharmas to be learned.
- One should not be enthralled with a renowned master with blind faith and must validate his preaching against sutras of the Three Vehicles.
- The most crucial step for any novice is to stay away from scriptures of Lamaism since their teachings have misappropriated Buddhist terms for their own purposes. The content of Lamaism are completely different to the tenets and correct principles taught by Buddha Shakyamuni.
The profundity of Buddhist doctrines does not merit sole reliance on self-learning since one will often adhere to and become entrapped within the literal meanings of Buddhist texts. The best way of learning is to participate in a cultivation class to gain in-depth knowledge of and full picture about Buddhism. Nonetheless, selecting a cultivation center becomes vital to all practitioners. An unsound teacher in a wrong cultivation center increases the possibility of learning erroneous Buddhist doctrines. Not only will one waste his time and efforts, he will also be farther away from correct Dharma.
So how do you select a cultivation center? It must be a Buddhist center with pure, solemn and simple ambiance without any odd statues on display, such as embracing “buddha statues” of male and female. The scale of a cultivation center is not judged by whether the building is looking majestic or magnificent along with extensive landscapes, rather it is assessed by the Dharmas that the center has to offer. Secondly, teachers that preach in the center – the enlightened mentor – must uphold the precepts in a pure manner. Teachings of the tenets must match with sutras of the Three Vehicles and must include the true reality of Mahayana doctrines. It should also transmit prajñā wisdom to help practitioners towards enlightenment. The choice of enlightened mentors have be based on the wisdom of the mentor, in another words, it must depend on the doctrine and not the person. Both of the aforementioned benchmarks are extremely vital in assisting practitioners on how to screen out and join the correct center.
There are many ways to learn Buddhism but to avoid taking the wrong path one must abide with the premise of the eight consciousnesses theory. One must personally realize the inherently countless and boundless virtues of the eighth consciousness – tathāgatagarbha, in order to attain Buddhahood. On the contrary, if one does not accept the existence of the eighth consciousness, one certainly will not attain the countless and boundless virtues of tathāgatagarbha. In that case one will not be able to achieve Buddhahood. All the other numerous so-called “buddha dharma” methods that cannot help the practitioner achieve Buddhahood cannot be called Buddhism.
