In contrast to the real Dharma, things that pretend to be Dharma usually fill you with confidence. The more you engage, the more powerful you feel. The primary function of false Dharma is to repair and maintain your illusions: maintaining the illusion that you are a powerful practitioner, the illusion that you're constantly striving in practice, the illusion that you are kind and compassionate. If you identify yourself as a practitioner and have never felt frustrated, then you may never have come into contact with the true Dharma, nor have you genuinely practiced.
Contrary to common perception, false Dharma does not solely come from those who misappropriate Buddhism or those who lack understanding of it. Many of its sources are highly orthodox. They may stem from orthodox teachers, Buddhist scriptures, or any historical master. However, once they reach you, they are neutered, trimmed, and morphed into a false Dharma that serves your ego. I've seen many people in my circle quote a phrase from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The original intent of that phrase was to annihilate the ego (or at least to wound it), but evidently, it has been interpreted by them in a completely opposite sense. What I see is many individuals' "ego" being nourished and encouraged by that phrase — their ego has learned a new rhetoric to sustain itself. The same scenario has occurred with masters like Padmasambhava and Huineng, which is deeply regrettable.
In fact, if you lack adequate practice and genuine guidance, it's impossible for you to truly understand these words. As a result, any true Dharma, when it reaches you, will morph into false Dharma, and the words of any master will be twisted into something entirely different when they reach you. The "ego" is eager to accept this kind of Dharma because it can craft it into a fitting armor and weapon. The words themselves are not at fault; they stem from enlightened masters and, if heard by those who can accurately interpret them, will function as intended. Yet, when they reach you, issues arise, mainly due to your misinterpretation. Bear in mind, though, people who can correctly understand the teachings of a guru or the Dharma are not commonplace. Therefore, we need the safeguarding of experienced teachers. The devil's influence is ubiquitous and can seep into almost all aspects of life. If you lack the experience to battle against these forces, you may fall prey to manipulation no matter which way you lean. For example, Buddhism often encourages questioning and contemplation, but many are unsure of what exactly they should be challenging or pondering. They question the wrong things and can be led astray by demonic forces to question what should not be. What they should be questioning is why white is perceived as white, why a cat is considered a cat; they should be challenging these perceptions, the common belief of how phenomena exist. Yet, many devote their time to observing whether their guru performs each action flawlessly as they envisage. However, if you advise them not to question, they encounter problems just the same. They don't fully grasp what "do not question" means and can blindly follow their guru's words like fools, even if it means pouring boiling water on their own feet. So, if you lack sufficient intelligence, experiential practice, and alertness, you may be exploited by demonic forces whether you choose to question or not. If you lack intelligence and do not have the guidance of a teacher, nearly everything you do is liable to manipulation, and any Dharma you read may be twisted by your ego. This is the harsh reality.
We, as people living in this world, if not confused by others, are perplexed by ourselves or bewildered by the myriad of phenomena. In reality, much of the time, we are in a state of confusion triggered by all these three elements combined. The ultimate goal of practicing Buddhism is to evolve into a person who is not baffled by others, oneself, or by any phenomena, although achieving this is notably challenging.
Written by Ling Shan Ju Shi on March 1, 2023, and first published on March 3, 2023.
灵山居士：不为人惑，不为己惑，不为万法惑
灵山居士写于2023年3月1日，首发于2023年3月3日。
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