Observations placeholder
The Ceasing of Notions – 15 Who should teach The Way?
Identifier
029059
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Yāna (Sanskrit and Pāli: "vehicle") refers to a mode or method of spiritual practice in Buddhism, and in particular to divisions of various schools of Buddhism according to their type of practice.
1.34 And the Lord saw those people who were looking for a boat, looking for a raft, and binding together a raft of reeds to get to the other side. And seeing their intentions, he uttered this verse on the spot:
'When they want to cross the sea, the lake or pond,
People make a bridge or raft - the wise have crossed already.
A description of the experience
The Ceasing of Notions [or the Treatise on the Transcendence of Cognition]
40. Emmon asks ‘ Can one who does not understand the principle preach the Dharma and instruct people?’
Master Nyuri answers: ’Impossible! With his own eyes not yet clear, how can he make others see?’
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Emmon asks ‘ But could he not use the power of his knowledge as a skilful means for teaching others?’
Master Nyuri answers: ’In the case of someone who has realised the principle of the Way, one could call this the power of knowledge. But as to someone who has not yet realised the principle, it ought rather to be called the power of ignorance, for it merely furthers and encourages one’s own afflicting passions.’
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Emmon ‘Though it may not be possible for him to instruct people about the principle of the Way, could he not, however, make them acquainted with the Ten Virtuous Deeds and the Five Precepts? Would he not help them thus and so enable them to be reborn into the human or heavenly realms?’
Master Nyuri: ‘From the point of the ultimate principle, not only is this of no benefit at all, but furthermore it invites two more mistakes – deceiving oneself and deceiving others.
To deceive oneself means to obstruct oneself from attaining the Way.
To deceive others means leaving them to stray about in the cycle of birth and death in the six realms.
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Emmon asks ‘ Did not the Buddha expound different teachings for each of the five vehicles?’
Master Nyuri : ‘The Buddha did most certainly NOT teach different truths. Such impressions only arise from people’s hopes and expectations and are but manifestations of them. Hence the Buddha says in a sutra, ‘When the heart has become clean and empty, there is no vehicle and no one who rides in it. This is the One Vehicle that I teach.’