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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 39

The process of learning the Dharma is the most exciting Rely on Wisdom, Not on Knowledge
and wonderful kind of self-discovery. In the sections What is the difference between wisdom and
below, I will try to explain how to approach and practice knowledge? Wisdom is the truth that already lies within
the Dharma. us. Knowledge is what we have gained through our
experiences in the outside world.
The Four Reliances
The truths that the Buddha taught are fundamental So why must we rely on wisdom and not on knowledge?
truths, which mean that they are true everywhere and The knowledge that we acquire through our six sense
at all times. As Buddhist practitioners searching for the organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) is
Dharma, we must rely on four guidelines to keep us on constantly shifting with the changes of phenomena.
the right path. These “four reliances” are to rely on the This is why knowledge is not perfect. On the other hand,
Dharma, not on an individual teacher; rely on wisdom, wisdom is like a mirror of our true nature. When we use
not on knowledge; rely on the meaning, not on the this mirror to look at all the phenomena of the universe,
words; and rely on ultimate truth, not on relative truth. it will reflect things as they really are. As we walk down
the path of cultivation, if we can see the reality of all
Rely on the Dharma, Not on an Individual Teacher things with our wisdom and not discriminate based on

To rely on the Dharma is to always rely on the truth. We our knowledge, we will not be deluded by the illusions
cannot rely on people because everyone has different of the world.
perceptions and interpretations. Any single teacher
is subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death, but the Rely on Meaning, Not on Words
Dharma has not changed since beginningless time. So We often gain knowledge and realize the truth through
in seeking the Way, we must always rely on the Dharma the medium of language and words. While there
itself and not on the people who teach it. are many different languages throughout the world,
the truth that they express is essentially the same.
Although there are people who can instruct us and By realizing this, we can seek to grasp the essential
help us along the path, we still must experience and meaning of things rather than being mired in the
understand it for ourselves in order to truly make it our words. If we are too attached to words, we end up with
own. When learning from others, we should examine a superficial understanding and will not comprehend
everything under the lens of our own introspection. In something’s real meaning.
a famous Chan story, a student once asked Chan Master
Zhaozhou (778-897) how to learn the Dharma. Master The unusual behavior of Chan masters was calculated to
Zhaozhou stood up and said, “I am going to go take a open our minds to this point. In one story, a Chan master
piss now. Ah, even trivial matters like taking a piss I exclaimed, “Today, if I saw Sakyamuni Buddha teach the
must do myself.” Dharma, I’d beat him to death with a stick and feed him
to the dogs!” Another master said, “What of the sacred
Sakyamuni Buddha once said that we should rely on texts? Bring them here and I’ll use them as a rag!”
ourselves and rely on the Dharma, not on others. We
should believe in ourselves, rely on ourselves, believe in The wild words of the Chan masters may seem to
the Dharma, and rely on the Dharma. Therefore, while slander the Buddha and the Dharma, but in fact, they
we should listen to the teachings of the Buddha and want us to transcend the attachment to language and
the instructions of our teachers, if we truly wish to gain words, and realize the truth beyond them.
wisdom we still must rely on ourselves to experience
the truth.