True and False Cultivation

February 13, 2019

The Challenge of the Age of Dharma Decline

In this current age of the Dharma’s decline, misleading teachers are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River. It is exceptionally difficult to find a true practitioner, primarily because the depth of one's cultivation varies so greatly. When we speak of true versus false cultivation, we must look beyond mere words. Many practitioners can recite the sutras and commentaries with great eloquence, speaking with perfect logic and clarity. However, they lack true cultivation because they have not truly integrated these teachings into their lives. They treat the scriptures as academic subjects rather than as a map for their own spiritual transformation.

The True Essence of Practice

True practice is not confined to a meditation hall or a temple. It is present in every aspect of our existence:

• In movement and stillness: Whether you are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, your conduct should reflect the Dharma.
• In every action: Every gesture and every task you perform is an opportunity to practise.
• In the mind: Most importantly, true practice is found in every thought and intention.

We must examine the subtle movements of our hearts. Are our thoughts rooted in Goodness or in selfishness? Is our compassion genuine, or is it merely a performance? Is our heart sincere, or is it filled with hypocrisy? To understand what is false and what is real, we must look deeply into our own motivations.

The Pitfalls of False Learning

Those who engage in false learning may speak beautifully about the Buddha’s teachings, yet they remain unable to achieve the following:

• Subduing the ego: They cannot control their own personality or their afflictions.
• Genuine compassion: They are unable to treat others with true, selfless compassion.
• Respect for others: They fail to honour others because they have not yet realised that every being possesses the Buddha-nature.

Because they have not transformed their inner state, they cannot attain rebirth in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. True Buddhist practitioners, by contrast, focus on changing their habits. They strive to save all beings from suffering, developing compassion through a deep understanding of the pain that others endure. They are willing to take on the suffering of others, and through this genuine compassion, they are able to chant Namo Amituofo with ease and clarity when the time comes to depart this world. There is one critical key to this success: one must vow to save all beings and help them reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Remaining Unmoved in the Truth

The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the ultimate destination. In all the various Dharma gates, especially in this age of the Dharma’s decline, we must place our full faith in the words of the Buddha rather than our own limited imaginations. Our imaginations are often entirely wrong. When you encounter all kinds of people, situations, and objects, can you maintain meditative concentration in your heart? Can you remain unaffected by external circumstances? Can you, as a Buddhist practitioner, remain unmoved?

The great Bodhisattvas of the Western Land of Dharma Nature have all listened to the sutras and heard the Dharma. They have learned the Buddha’s teachings, understood the beauty of the Dharma, and embodied the spirit of the Buddha—His compassion and His Wisdom—by applying them in their daily lives. True practice is the act of correcting one's own erroneous views and behaviours. If you can truly put what you have heard into practice, your interactions with others will become pure and filled with Goodness. Counseling others to chant Namo Amituofo and working to purify the human heart are also essential Buddha-actions. Namo Amituofo.

Bodhisattva Ashvaghosa

Recorded by the Buddha's disciple, Shi Haiyuan