She immersed in Dharma research work,
and used it to avoid human contact,
even with those whom she should help.
Her excuse was that she was too busy with Dharma work,
as if Dharma theory mattered more than Dharma practice,
as if many lifeless words of wisdom mattered more than a deed of kindness.
She had forgotten that the real Dharma work
was to put Dharma theory into practice,
to express wisdom with compassion.
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I always wondered if the Buddhist community recruit 42000 dharma researchers. Each taking charge of only 2 of Buddha’s 84000 teachings. Would two to five years be enough to completely translate and interpret all the 84000 teachings or at least extract the essence of the teachings by being able to say which teachings says about what? Is it about the universe or how to manage a country or how to develop compassion? What sort of application can be used in the teachings.? How to practise? What sort of merit the teachings can impart?
If you are hungry, looking at pictures of delicious food, and understanding all the ingredients that go into it will not help you. Only putting the food into your mouth can ease your hunger. Likewise, all the Dharma can be a hindrance if you try to understand it without any realization. Spiritual practice is 2 words; you understand and put it into practice. The most difficult spiritual practice is not Chanting, 108 prostrations, or 100 days retreat. It is together action! If practicing doesn’t bring harmony to your daily life, you need to reflect on your practice. Practice is not limited to the meditation cushion, Dharma work or formal ceremonies, it also is our daily life, and how we can perceive our situation correctly and help ourselves and the world.
Well being too academically engrossed in dharma may sometimes create intellectual obstacles for us but the Buddha taught the dharma to help solve 84000 different obstacles of our existence. Before one can even decide what food to eat, one must know what are the food available to eat. In the same way, before one can cure others of their sufferings, one must know what are the available cures that can cure one of their suffering. The Buddha Dharma is big and all rounded but it is the sheer size of our teachings that also create alot of weight when we move or preach the dharma to others. How do one experience the heart of the dharma when one cannot even understand the dharma at it’s skin deep level. All deep impression starts with small impression. That’s why for Buddhism to reach far and wide, it has to have bones, a framework that can allow one to understand what is available for us to use. We are well aware that most belief system succeed becos it is able to relate to the secular aspects of our lives. Only when we can apply dharma will it have a place in our lives. This aspect is lacking. Does any Buddhist know when a member of a family fall sick, wat can they do with dharma or they prefer to be hijack by other beliefs in the context of them praying for you. When one is traveling to foreign countries, what sort of dharma can be used to ensure a safe and well protected journey. The only day one can apply dharma is the day one knows the dharma. The only day one applies the dharma is the day one experiences the dharma. Which is why many hands make work light so that the dharma can be known at one look and we can spend most of our time practicing and experiencing.
The Buddha dharma being so extensive and expansive that it touches all aspects of life. To not acknowledge the far reaching place it can have in our lives is to limit it’s ability with our ignorance. That would be a waste. I do hope the Buddhist community can formulate a framework. With a framework that stirs up interest, the academics can then decide which aspect interests them for them to go deeper in order to benefit sentient beings. The Buddha always taught the middle path. To balance superficial knowledge that is good enough to ignite deep interest into further knowledge would be a right balance.
Btw, by being able to know the ingredients that goes into the food, one will be able to tell which are the ingredients one is allergic to. In case anyone dunno, there are cases of kids dying from peanut allergy or even develop allergy from eating food made in plant manufacturing peanut products. Even the Buddha in his scriptures and sutras show that he is extremely detailed and meticulous. His mind is extremely fine and not as gross as us. Sometimes certain teachings read very much like a legal document.
Real dharma work is to make dharma WORK for all sentient beings and the first step is definitely knowledge.
1.My message above does not stop anyone from aspiring their great work to preach or to translate all of Buddha’s 84000 Dharma. It is a sharing (I don’t think anyone here is trying to preach or to teach?) for practitioners of the Budhha Dharma.
2.My point is very clear that if one is hungry, only eating can ease one’s hunger. Trying to know how it is cooked or all ingredients that make the food will not ease one’s hunger. And there is no mention that one cannot scrutinize the ingredients if one has allergy to certain chemical/food. In fact, anyone with allergy will know they need to scrutinize what they consume. As in spiritual practice; one has to understand and practice, one has to eat besides knowing what they eat.
3.If my point is not clear, I am encouraging one to practice besides understanding, because understanding alone cannot help. It is better to practice even one than to understand all 84000 Dharma without practice (as in writer’s example?).
4.Just as in the field of medicine for the physical body, I fully agree it is important to do research on all kinds of physical/mental illnesses for the benefit of everyone; a doctor is either a general practitioner or specialize in certain specialty. It is better for one to practice one tradition.
May all be well and happy.