真実を知ろうとすること
Desire to know the truth
2024-06-22 21:00:00
“To truly wish to reach a state of happiness from the heart and earnestly desire to know the truth, gradually accumulating merit and ultimately attaining enlightenment (= nirvana).”
This is the whole truth of Buddhist practice.
Now, what does it specifically mean to "desire to know the truth"?
It means wanting to know the real nature of what is happening right in front of you, mobilizing all your experiences, memories, and everything else that comes to mind.
In other words, it does not mean that there is a fixed truth to be revealed.
So, why does knowing the true nature of what is happening right in front of you lead to enlightenment (= nirvana)?
This is because what is happening right in front of you is a rare and significant event <ultimate reality> in this world. To understand its essence, you must mobilize everything you have learned in this world up to that point. However, in reality, none of it will be of any use. Nevertheless, by persistently seeking to understand it, a knowledge that is not of this world (= Buddha’s wisdom) will eventually manifest.
It is somewhat similar to the saying "when in distress, one finds a way," but it is not that wisdom manifests because of the distress. Rather, it is because of the person's deep desire to know the truth, which, coupled with their faith in Buddhism and accumulated merits, leads to the manifestation of profound wisdom.
The important thing is that a Buddhist practitioner should not neglect even the most trivial events that happen before them. They should remain vigilant, observe with the intention of understanding the root of suffering, and rely on the manifestation of their accumulated merits.
Furthermore, they will come to know after enlightenment that this truth manifests exactly as described in the core teachings of the Buddhist scriptures. However, they will not know this before attaining enlightenment.
For this reason, the various Tathagatas teach that it is extremely important for Buddhist practitioners to maintain correct faith.
Buddhist practitioners must understand that seeking to know the truth encompasses all of the aforementioned aspects.
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