It took me a very long time to understand that the Buddha is a teacher—not someone who grants wishes, listens to prayers, or punishes anyone for misbehaving. Many venerable monks had said or written this, and I had heard or read their words, but I couldn’t fully grasp it.
Today I see it clearly, though I don’t remember when that shift began. I’m sure it only happened after I started practicing meditation seriously.
With the development of the internet, we can access the Buddha’s teachings in a way that was impossible before. References are now a click away for anyone curious enough to search and read.
These days I understand that we don’t need to live our lives trying to please the Buddha, pray to him, or perform rituals like offering food, water, or flowers to statues. These practices were created by people over time and no longer make sense to me. Reciting or chanting words we don’t fully understand also feels empty. Now that I can read translations in English, some chants finally make sense—they are meant to be understood, not blindly repeated. Monks recite from memory for a different purpose, to preserve the teachings, but with so many written materials available today, even that role is changing.
People will always defend their traditions, and there are many seemingly rational arguments for keeping them. I understand these practices make people feel safe, as if they are being good followers, but that’s not necessarily true. They provide a false sense of security and are therefore very dangerous. The problem grows when people criticize others who don’t follow the same rituals. Some chant loudly and disturb others, thinking they are doing wholesome deeds, while in reality this goes against the teachings. At the community level, loudspeakers create noise and stress, harming mental wellbeing. Under the umbrella of “Buddhism,” people rarely speak up, not realizing that these actions are unwholesome and contrary to the Buddha’s guidance.
The Buddha understood clearly what is wholesome and unwholesome, what leads to lower realms, and what leads to higher realms and liberation. His teachings come from direct knowledge and insight—not from rules he created to control anyone. We cannot negotiate with karma through prayers, offerings, apologies, or promises to do better. The Buddha cannot send anyone to heaven or hell, and he cannot override their karma. He can only guide.
Meditation and mindfulness lie at the heart of his teaching. Ethical discipline, concentration, and wisdom form its foundation. If Buddhist communities truly followed these principles, our homes and communities would be far more peaceful.
Many people misunderstand false speech. It includes lying, defamation, gossiping, bullying, and cyberbullying. Killing includes both direct and indirect actions, because intention matters. Some people believe they can avoid karmic consequences by asking others to kill for them. The Buddha warned against this because karma is not something we can escape, negotiate, or hide from. Our choices shape our path.
Being a true follower of the Buddha doesn’t mean being perfectly pure—that only happens with full enlightenment. It simply means understanding the genuine teachings and doing our best to live by them.
If we use the wrong map, we will end up in the wrong place. When we treat common cultural practices as if they are the Buddha’s true teachings, we risk walking toward outcomes we do not want. Those who try to manipulate the Buddha’s teachings are most likely to bring harm to themselves, including facing the consequences of sending others toward suffering. They may even be destined for ‘hell,’ the very fate they use to threaten others in order to manipulate them. With wrong teachings, we may bully, lie, cheat, defame, kill, commit sexual misconduct, or encourage harm and then try to forget, but karma does not forget. It cannot be bribed or bargained with. The only true protection is entering the stream, which cuts off the karma that leads to lower realms. Pretending to be a stream-winner, even with the support of influential people, cannot change this.
There are rare accounts of meditators whose bodies did not decay, but not even the Buddha could guarantee such things. Human bodies naturally decompose, even those of stream-winners and higher, including arahants. I cannot find any writing that says the Buddha’s body did not decay. Anyone who promises otherwise is not speaking truthfully.
Stories about the Buddha’s supernatural powers are often taught to children, and while people mean well, it concerns me. I now seek teachings untainted by such additions. I have had enough of beliefs created to satisfy people’s preferences and then elevated as if they were essential.
The Buddha’s authentic teachings help people live well, reduce suffering, and, if followed diligently, can ultimately bring an end to suffering. Diluted or misleading teachings cannot do that. When fetters are strong, people cling to their opinions and what they already believe, and even the Buddha could not convince everyone to see differently. He could only help the ones capable of receiving the teaching. So although I write about what I understand and see, I hold no high expectations. Many knowledgeable and skilled people have already tried to offer the right map. I simply want to support that effort.
© Dr. Tune. All rights reserved.
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