誤謬無き教え
Infallible teaching
2024-07-20 18:00:00
In Buddhism, there are fundamentally no errors.
This is because it is expected that practitioners who believe in Buddhism and diligently practice will inevitably attain enlightenment (= liberation).
Of course, not all practitioners will reach enlightenment.
Some may end their lives during the course of their practice.
Moreover, there are teachings falsely claimed to be Buddhism, and it is naturally impossible to attain enlightenment (= liberation) through such teachings.
However, even in such cases, sincere practitioners will, through their own wisdom, distance themselves from false teachings, find the correctly taught Buddhist scriptures, believe in them, accumulate merit, and proceed straight towards the perfect tranquility (= Nirvana).
Even if one begins their Buddhist practice with false teachings, they can ultimately become enlightened.
This is one of the mysteries of Buddhism.
Considering such things, it can be said that there are no errors in Buddhism as a whole.
In fact, all Buddhas who have attained enlightenment know that there are no errors in Buddhism and claim so.
Now, of course, reasons can be given for why there are no errors in Buddhism.
One reason is that the Buddhist scriptures are fundamentally composed using truthful words without duplicity.
Specifically, words like criticism or praise can express two opposing claims with a single word, but the Buddhist scriptures use words that make a single claim with a single word, avoiding such ambiguity.
Moreover, especially in the case of Mahayana scriptures, expedient means using metaphors are often employed.
And the foundation of these teachings is the truth itself.
Therefore, these teachings do not contain errors.
Furthermore, the Buddhist scriptures do not teach fixed doctrines.
As shown in the "Parable of the Raft," it is even taught that one should discard the descriptions in the scriptures if necessary.
Everything is taught as expedient means, tailored to the situation.
A wise practitioner, through this flawless teaching, will eventually reach Nirvana.
At that time, they will come to understand everything.
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