途方に暮れる修行者
A bewildered practitioner
2024-02-16 17:00:00
Apart from the usual anxieties along the journey, some practitioners of the Buddhist path may find themselves at a loss, unsure of how to proceed with their practice.
Why is this so?
That is because they are caught in delusion.
And the fundamental reason for this is that he is seeking only through intellectual curiosity, relying solely on what he has heard and known, without even a trace of seeking peace within his heart.
In regard to this matter, we can see the following teachings in the original Buddhist scriptures of Shakyamuni.
838 Māgandiya asked, "Venerable sir, you teach about having seen <inner peace> without clinging to fixed views composed of thinking. How do other wise individuals explain this discourse?"
839 The teacher replied, "Māgandiya, I do not teach that one can become pure through doctrines, scholarship, precepts, or ethics. Nor do I teach that one can become pure without doctrines, scholarship, precepts, or ethics. One should abandon them, not clinging or being attached, but abiding peacefully, without longing for existence. (This is inner peace)."
840 Māgandiya said, "If someone were to say, 'One cannot become pure through doctrines, scholarship, knowledge, precepts, or ethics,' and also say, 'One cannot become pure without doctrines, scholarship, knowledge, precepts, or ethics,' then I would consider such teaching as foolish. Some people think that purity can be attained through doctrines."
841 The teacher replied, "Māgandiya, because you seek based on your (own) doctrine, you have fallen into delusion regarding the objects of attachment. You do not even harbor the faintest thought about this (inner peace). Therefore, you regard (the truth I preach) as 'foolish.'" (Buddha's Words: The Sutta-Nipāta, Chapter 4: The Chapter of Eight Verses, Verse 9: Māgandiya, translated by Hajime Nakamura, Iwanami-Bunko)
Here are the key parts related to the aforementioned:
- Because you seek based on your (own) doctrine, you have fallen into delusion regarding clinging to certain matters.
- You do not even entertain faint thoughts about this (inner peace).
In other words, as long as practitioners maintain such an attitude, it is impossible for them to attain enlightenment (=liberation).
This situation is akin to someone who, without a destination in mind or a map, suddenly starts a journey out of resentment for their current location.
At first, things may somehow manage to work out through trial and error, but eventually, one will reach a point where progress stalls, and they will find themselves at a loss.
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