微細なところに
In fine details
2024-05-18 18:00:00
The “great matter” which serves as a trigger for enlightenment is not an event that shakes the world, but something that occurs in relation to extremely personal matters.
Furthermore, the rare “phrases of the Dharma” also appear in the world in simple words without using elaborate terminology.
And wisdom, too, essentially arises as something that suddenly occurs to practitioners of the Buddhist path.
In other words, even in the realm of a person’s attainment of Buddhahood, it is recognized that extremely significant matters begin with seemingly trivial things, triggered by events unnoticed by others, and are ultimately accomplished by the seemingly mundane thoughts that occur to Buddhist practitioners in a decisive manner.
For this reason, it is particularly emphasized in the early Buddhist scriptures that what is important for Buddhist practitioners is to “be mindful.”
Conversely, if Buddhist practitioners are not very mindful, they risk missing critical matters on the path to enlightenment.
In truth, if each matter were more dramatic and clear, it would be easier for practitioners to understand, allowing them to progress step by step on the path to enlightenment. As a result, more Buddhist practitioners would likely attain enlightenment.
However, the reality of this world is not like that, and as a result, it seems that very few practitioners actually reach the state of enlightenment, or Nirvana.
Nonetheless, those who have diligently accumulated merit can clearly perceive these subtle matters and feel as though they have effortlessly and easily attained the state of enlightenment.
Therefore, in the Mahayana sutras, it is emphasized that “accumulating merit” rather than “being mindful” is the essence of Buddhist practice. By providing concrete examples of how to accumulate merit, they practically compensate for the shortcoming of not knowing how to be mindful.
This is akin to how anyone can observe microscopic pathogens with a microscope without understanding its scientific principles.
In short, even when referencing numerous Buddhist scriptures, it is ultimately those who can believe that accumulating merit is the essence of Buddhist practice who realistically reach the state of enlightenment, or Nirvana.
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