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Discourse on the Gradual Training – Discourse on the Supreme Dharma
When reading the sutras, first use independent insight—that is, the Buddha nature already present within yourself—as a kind of raw material, to encounter directly the words of the Buddha, rather than hastily stepping onto the old commentaries. Thanks to historical science and philological science, we illuminate the historical and linguistic context, discover new data, and from there, we ourselves can identify the timing and content of the scriptures (for example, the appearance of the Bodhisattva precepts through the Upāsaka Sutra).
The teachings are not only in books but must be practiced in the daily life of a Bodhisattva, whether monastic or lay friend: taking insight as one’s career (dĩ tuệ thị nghiệp), as urgently as if putting out a fire on one’s head; living simply with the four requisites—clothing, food, bedding, and medicine—in the spirit of knowing what is enough; preserving a place of stillness to contemplate non-self, freedom, and non-attachment; at the same time, maintaining the practice of alms-round to nourish humility, responsibility, and connection with the people.
Every moment of the practice life contains precepts, concentration, and insight through the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, guided by:
- Rely on the Dharma, not on the person
- Rely on the definitive meaning sutras, not on the non-definitive meaning
- Rely on the meaning, not on the words
- Rely on insight, not on mere knowledge
and relying on the threefold pure precepts of the Bodhisattva:
- The precept of embracing and sustaining the rules of discipline
- The precept of embracing and sustaining wholesome dharmas
- The precept of embracing and sustaining practices that benefit all beings
All of these begin with the mind of awakening—the Bodhi mind—the boundless source of energy that helps the Bodhisattva “go beyond” rigid prohibitions while still maintaining fully the spirit of compassion and the liberation of all beings.