The Profound Utility of the Dharma

The Compassionate Compass of Diverse Teachings

To assist all beings in understanding the true reality of the world as conveyed through the Buddha’s teachings, various Dharma gates have been established. These diverse methods exist specifically to lead and guide beings of different potentials and varying degrees of Dharma affinity. If you are a practitioner who has not yet reached the state of an awakened being, you must have the Dharma to serve as your guide. By diligently following these teachings, you will surely achieve success in your practice. This is the fundamental utility of the Dharma.

There are eighty-four thousand Dharma gates, each designed to address the unique problems and karmic conditions of different beings. These methods are essentially medicinal, provided to counteract the specific afflictions that hinder our progress. In truth, the self-nature that every person possesses is inherently empty, pure, and complete. It is capable of manifesting all phenomena. If one truly dwells within this original state, where could any problem possibly arise?

The Unmoved Mirror of the True Self

Your true self-nature is vast enough to encompass all things, yet it remains unmoved by them. The world we inhabit is a realm of causal conditions, where things arise and perish. This world is a place of existence for beings bound by karma. However, the Dharma can be used as a tool to teach and save these beings. When the situation requires it, the Dharma is present; when it is no longer needed, it returns to emptiness. It is a skillful means, not an end in itself.

The Pure Path to the Western Land

The Pure Land Dharma Gate is a specific method for transitioning from a state of impurity to one of purity. It is the path of purification that leads directly into the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, which was established by Amitabha Buddha. Because beings are accustomed to the cycle of samsara and the weight of their own karma, they suffer without end, unaware that they possess an inherently pure and free self-nature. They do not realise that they do not need to suffer and that they have the power to resolve their own suffering.

Therefore, the Pure Land Dharma Gate exists to help you rediscover your pure self-nature. As the saying goes, when the heart is pure, the land is pure. By practising this method, you can find your way back to your original nature, enter the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, and finally be free from the sufferings of samsara. This is the profound utility of the Dharma.

The Final Release of the Dharma Raft

The teaching that one should let go of the Dharma, let alone what is not the Dharma, refers to those who have already attained the state of an awakened being. Once you have realised your true nature, you will naturally be able to let go of all methods. You will no longer be limited by them. You will be able to act in perfect harmony with the Universal Principle, the Truth, and the Right Way, while widely teaching and saving all beings.

Think of it like a boat used to cross from this shore to the other. If you wish to step onto the shore, you must leave the boat and abandon it; only then can you reach the land and attain true freedom. If you remain attached to the boat, how can you ever reach the other side? For those who are dedicated to saving beings, because the beings have not yet awakened, we must continue to use the Dharma to teach and guide them. This is the essential utility of the Dharma.

Namo Amituofo