覚ることが夢
Attaining enlightenment is my dream
2026-06-10
“My Dream Is to Attain Enlightenment”
Some practitioners speak in this way as if to leave themselves an excuse in advance in case they fail to attain enlightenment.
Of course, even if one boldly declares, “I will definitely attain enlightenment,” whether that actually becomes a reality depends upon causes and conditions. It is not something that can be guaranteed.
Even so, if a sincere person is diligently practicing with the aim of realizing Nirvāṇa, they should at least live each day with the conviction that such a goal is fully attainable. The very foundation of this earnest attitude is none other than faith in Buddhism.
Indeed, it is certain that enlightenment is attainable for everyone.
Regarding this point, we can find the following principle in the early Buddhist scriptures:
186. [The Blessed One said:] “If a person has faith in the teaching by which the venerable ones attain peace, is diligent, intelligent, and eager to hear the Dhamma, he will eventually gain wisdom.” (The Words of the Buddha, Sutta Nipāta, Chapter I: The Chapter of the Serpent, 10: The Spirit Āḷavaka, translated by Hajime Nakamura, Iwanami-Bunko)
Now, the decisive factor that determines whether enlightenment is attained or not is not the practice itself, but rather how one responds when confronted with the opportunity for awakening. At that crucial moment, the most important thing is whether one can correctly perceive the matter at hand and give rise to wisdom.
In other words, what is tested is whether one possesses the dignity befitting a being who is prepared to live the rest of one's life as a Buddha. Such dignity is itself nothing other than the fruit of accumulated merit.
It is at this point that a person whose causes and conditions are mature attains Buddhahood. In that very moment, the foundations of the knowledge, insight, and conduct required of a Buddha are established.
From then on, he can no longer be counted merely as a human being. He has become a Tathāgata who has established his own Buddha-land.
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