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F ORUM TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 599
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In our global age of dialogue and scholarship, Holiness the Dalai Lama advises us to be flexible 21 -
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should the standards for what counts as the century Buddhists, encouraging us to study the great
Buddha’s true words change? How does your treatises to develop a wide and deep philosophical
tradition contribute to preserving and sharing the understanding of the Buddha’s profound teachings.
Buddha’s teachings today? Monastics and lay people practicing the Buddhist
worldview based on logic and reasoning will be well-
Aggacitta: I think the Four Great References given prepared to address any watering down of Buddha’s
by the Buddha in AN 4.108 is good enough if sutta is teachings that might seem unpalatable to modern
interpreted more broadly as “general principle” instead individualistic, hedonistic societies.
of confining it to mean the collection of discourses
found in the Pāḷi Tipiṭaka. However, the standards of the
Venerable Āyasmā Aggacitta is
Theravāda Vinaya should not be lowered, otherwise the
the founder of the Sāsanārakkha
purity of the tradition would be undermined.
Buddhist Sanctuary (SBS) in
Taiping, Perak, a Pāli scholar and a
It is precisely because of the Theravāda tradition’s strict
meditation teacher.
adherence to the Vinaya that the 3 major saṅgītis were
convened. It is also because of this conservative attitude
that the Pāḷi canon is undeniably the most complete set
Ven. Min Wei is a teacher of e-learning at the
of scriptures that are closest to the earliest teachings of
International Buddhist College (IBC) and an
the historical Buddha.
independent translator of Buddhism.

Min Wei: In today’s global era of dialogue and
Venerable Tenzin Tsepal was
scholarship, determining the authenticity of the
ordained by HH The 14th Dalai
Buddha’s words should be based not on rigid historical
Lama in 2001 and received her
literalism, but on timeless principles such as wisdom,
higher ordination in Taiwan in
compassion, and the path to liberation. While critical
2019. She is currently a nun
academic study provides valuable historical context,
residing at Sravasti Abbey, USA,
the true measure of a teaching lies in its capacity to
supporting Ven Thubten Chodron in
awaken and transform lives. The Mahāyāna tradition her teachings. EH
upholds this understanding by preserving teachings
that embody the bodhisattva ideal of selfless service,
profound insight, and universal compassion. Through
the preservation of sacred texts, the dissemination of
translations, and active participation in education and
interfaith dialogue, Mahāyāna Buddhism continues to
share the Dharma across cultural boundaries. Its flexible
application of skillful means ensures that the Buddha’s
voice remains accessible and relevant, while faithfully
maintaining the essence of spiritual awakening.

Tsepal: One threat to preserving the Buddhadharma is
the advent of “secular Buddhism,” especially in the West.
This movement is skeptical of any traditional element
of Buddhist teachings or practice that limits Buddhism’s
acceptance by modern societies. To address this, His