仏道修行を継続せしめる原動力
Driving Force That Sustains Buddhist Practice
2026-07-11
No matter how excellent and admirable a practitioner may be, there are likely to be difficulties in continuously engaging in Buddhist practice over a long period of time.
This is because there exists no fixed method of practice in the Buddhist path, and moreover there are no tangible fruits to be obtained along the way.
For this reason, some people come to harbor doubts as to whether they will ever attain enlightenment no matter how much they practice, while others come to develop doubts about Buddhism itself.
Nevertheless, it is an undeniable truth that anyone can attain enlightenment if only they steadily accumulate merit. In the final analysis, whether or not one is able to continue Buddhist practice continuously becomes the important factor that determines the success or failure of one's practice.
Of course, there are cases in which certain practitioners complete Buddhist practice within a comparatively short period of time, attain Buddhahood, and reach the highest enlightenment.
Even in such cases, if one examines the manner of their Buddhist practice, it can be seen that they must, at the very least, have devoted themselves wholeheartedly to Buddhist practice for a considerably long period of time and accumulated great merit.
In particular, the practice undertaken after the arising of the aspiration for enlightenment is extremely important and effective, and to an outside observer it may even appear as though enlightenment (= liberation) arose in no time at all.
For this reason, it may be said without great error that the meaning of stating that practitioners should continue Buddhist practice pertains especially to the matters prior to the arising of the aspiration for enlightenment.
Moreover, the actual form of Buddhist practice at that stage ordinarily takes the form of itinerant practice.
Therefore, what is required in Buddhist practice at this time may be said to be that, whatever the subject matter may be, one should make it an opportunity for Buddhist practice and ardently aspire to know the truth.
Whatever the driving force for this may be, it can be recognized as nothing other than a pure aspiration seeking enlightenment (= liberation).
Those who are mindful will, by themselves, purify and strengthen their progress along this one path, and thereby come to approach and reach Nirvana directly.
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