Impermanence, non-self, dependent origination, emptiness, signlessness, aimlessness, mindfulness, concentration, and insight are the very heart of Buddhist wisdom, in harmony with the spirit of science and able to support modern science. Secondary teachings such as the Pure Land or details about the Buddha’s life do not affect the path of practice; what is important is to dwell in true insight, with a mind that is light and not attached to anything.

The teachings are only skillful means—like a raft to cross the river—helping us to give rise to liberating insight, and then they must be let go of. The initial right view of impermanence, non-self, mindfulness, concentration, and insight is only a notion, which needs to be “burned away” by the insight of non-discrimination. When engaging in dialogue with science, we do not bring dry theories but bring the practice of mindfulness to show that mind and matter are not separate, to go beyond dualistic grasping, and to develop deep intuition through mindfulness and concentration.