Page 16 - EH57

14 EASTERN HORIZON | FACE TO FACE

and avoid seeing things only from most important Buddhist source. doctrines and methods of practice,
the standpoint of one single teacher My personal idea about learning by discovering which teachings are
or method. Every teacher has his/ Buddhism is that we should connect more ancient and which teachings
her own strengths. with the current scholarship and came later. It is not necessarily true
Buddhism at worldwide, and that the more ancient teachings
One should: develop extensive then review each of the Buddhist are the best, and those that were
and profound knowledge through traditions with an objective and developed later are unreliable and
reading, listening, and seeing, widen new outlook. Westerners are strong unproved. The important point is,
and enrich one’s experience, study in their spirit of science and spirit we need to finish reading a material
and ponder deeply, and always of the law. They have a very rational before making a wise conclusion
associate with great virtuous way of thinking, and a will for according to scientific spirit and
teachers. We must first develop an exploring the Truth thoroughly in an academic approach. Belief without
open mindedness in order to accept unbiased and non-Buddhist manner. the support of clear evidence is a
new knowledge, new concepts, Hence, the results of their research blind belief and superstition. We
and continually improve; the only are considered more suitable for need to have bases and evidence.
way to learn Buddhism well is to learning and practice compared to The clearer and more definite the
be able to accept such changes. the research from traditional Asian evidence is, and the deeper and
There is some consensus by the Buddhism. more profound the theory is, the
internationally well-known and more capable we are in connecting
influential Buddhist scholars and We should pay attention to two all the conditions and factors
professionals, which can be gleaned aspects of the original teachings throughout history. Then we can
from major resources in English and of Buddhism in English resources. master the core thinking of Buddha,
Chinese. English resources include The first is to grasp the order of the and strengthen our confidence and
some Chinese and Japanese sources, theories based on their historical aspiration in teaching other people.
as well as resources in the original order. Mastery of the order of
Pāli, and Tibetan resources. the theories is very helpful for Second, Buddhists in the West are
us to comprehensively grasp the becoming more mature nowadays;
Therefore, English resources are sequence of practice. For instance, many of their writings are valuable
the most important contemporary first systematically compare the and worthwhile for Asian Buddhists
materials for Buddhists nowadays three major world histories— to read, for example, their works
to research the original spirit Western History, Chinese History, on Buddhism, and neuroscience,
of Buddhism and its essential and Indian History—and then psychotherapy and meditation
doctrines. Chinese resources discern which era the great figures teachings. We should pay attention
are the second most important were born. By this approach, we to their strong points.
source for ancient information, are able to fully comprehend the
while Pāli resources are the third teachings in the scriptures, their