考える
To think
2024-06-25 18:00:00
Without thinking for oneself and merely practicing as directed by someone else.
However, in this way, one cannot attain enlightenment (= liberation).
This is because, when faced with the opportunity for enlightenment, if a Buddhist practitioner does not engage in thinking, enlightenment will not arise.
In other words, wisdom is something that Buddhist practitioners create for themselves through their own causes and conditions. The opportunity for its creation, or the trigger, is hearing the words of the Dharma.
Therefore, even a diligent Buddhist practitioner cannot attain enlightenment (= liberation) merely by hearing the words of the Dharma.
When one hears the rare words of the Dharma in the world, desires to understand their true origin, thinks about it, and correctly arrives at the possible answer, one generates wisdom and attains Buddhahood.
Thus, while it can be said that there is a mechanism for enlightenment, it cannot be diagrammed.
For example, someone who has solved various geometry proof problems in mathematics is expected to be able to solve new problems as well.
This person, of course, arrives at the discovery of the answer through appropriate thinking, and cannot find the answer without thinking.
The same is true for Buddhist practitioners finding (= creating) wisdom.
A Buddhist practitioner who has diligently accumulated merit faces the opportunity for enlightenment, finds wisdom, and finally attains Buddhahood.
When achieving this, it is impossible without "thinking."
However, it is not a logical process but an intuitive one.
The basis for accomplishing this is the accumulation of merit. Therefore, it is taught that "merit is the skill in perceiving one's true nature, and a straightforward heart is itself the virtue" (Sixth Patriarch Huineng Buddha).
***
