True Dhamma helps you choose the right tool and strike in the right place to weaken your mental chains.
When the teachings are genuine, they guide your effort toward the roots of greed, hatred, and delusion—the source of all mental chains.
False or diluted Dhamma misleads you.
It directs your energy toward unimportant areas, and some misguided practices can even tighten the chains instead of loosening them.
(I’ve noticed that Western practitioners also struggle with the Dhamma because translations often miss the depth or distort key meanings, leading to misunderstandings of crucial teachings.)
Many people believe they are doing wholesome deeds when they are not.
Because their understanding is distorted, they mistake unwholesome actions for wholesome ones.
Many also follow paths that lead to lower realms without realizing it.
Ignorance hides the consequences of their actions from them.
Teachings of The Buddha
He clearly explained which actions are wholesome (kusala), which actions are unwholesome (akusala), and the practices that genuinely cut through the mental fetters and lead to the cessation of suffering.
AN EXAMPLE
Promotion of generosity (dāna) as a practice that itself prevents rebirth in lower realms, including hell, is common where I grew up.
The words I heard include:
“Generosity can close the door to hell.”
“Generosity can make you reborn in a higher realm.”
This is not the Buddha’s teaching and can mislead people into focusing solely on that area.
At the community level, people spoke of generosity, moral conduct (sīla), and Bhāvanā (mental cultivation) as the basics of Buddhism, rather than the original teaching of the Threefold Training: moral conduct, concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā).
Using generosity as a means of social comparison is unwholesome. Attachment to reputation for generosity strengthens the mental chains of greed and delusion. Comparing and competing with others fosters hatred and ill-will, which further tightens these chains.
While generosity is a wholesome quality, promoting it in the wrong way constitutes false speech and misrepresents the Buddha. Such misrepresentation can mislead many people and even contribute to negative karmic consequences, making it a serious matter.
Not all members of the Sangha are noble (Ariya), and many have not realized the Dhamma for themselves. Some can learn the true Dhamma from authentic teachings or writings, but many rely heavily on their teachers’ guidance. If their teachers teach incorrectly, they may unintentionally pass on those errors to the community. Some of these misunderstandings may have originated centuries ago.
I have witnessed many monks—especially those teaching or practicing the true Buddha’s teachings and Vipassana meditation, as well as educated ones—strive to correct some of these misunderstandings in their talks and teachings, yet certain misconceptions remain deeply embedded in the community.
If they cannot even fully correct them, there is little that others can do at the community level. However, we can act at a personal level by reading, listening to, and practicing the true Dhamma.
© Dr. Tune. All rights reserved.
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