突破口
Breakthrough
2024-06-15 18:00:00
The path to enlightenment (= liberation) involves no intermediate fruits/rewards, and it is only those who have diligently accumulated merit who can suddenly achieve liberation due to their karma.
This is the full scope of the path to enlightenment.
Therefore, even a dedicated practitioner may not feel that their practice is progressing along the way.
Nevertheless, it is natural for practitioners to wish for a kind of breakthrough to further their Buddhist practice.
However, there is no breakthrough that clearly rises to the consciousness of the practitioner.
That said, it seems that the Buddhist pilgrimage as can sometimes serve as a kind of breakthrough.
This is because the timing of significant progress in Buddhist practice is unrelated to that of the Buddhist pilgrimage.
This subtlety is similar to the process of recalling a forgotten word.
At this time, a practical method for recalling involves letting various words come to mind and checking if the forgotten word is among them.
However, often the word that was forgotten is entirely unrelated to any of the words (syllables) that were thought of.
Of course, the result remains that the forgotten word is eventually recalled.
The breakthrough in Buddhist practice is similar to this.
It should be understood that each individual phase of practice does not directly lead to enlightenment. However, it is often observed that during these practices, the conditions for enlightenment suddenly arise.
Therefore, the various Tathagatas (Buddhas) teach that practitioners who aim for enlightenment should engage in continuous practice, not as a method but as a way of practice.
And the important thing is that practitioners should "earnestly desire to know the truth."
This is because enlightenment (= liberation) can ultimately be said to be the possible outcome of this earnest desire.
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