Is a Buddhist Disciple One Who Studies Much or Practices Much? The Story of the Young Teacher Who Wanted to Study Medicine

Last night, I happened to meet a young monastic teacher at a vegetarian restaurant. He had a radiant appearance and admirable conduct. When I asked what he was doing here, he replied: "I've come to take the entrance exam for medical school, because I see that many who graduate with advanced Buddhist studies have nowhere to apply their learning and cannot support themselves." That answer worried me deeply. It is precisely a sign of a real crisis in the direction of Buddhist disciples today.

Studying Buddhism While Forgetting to Practice: A Crisis

In coming to Buddhism, we lean far too much toward the path of intellectual study and lack actual practice. There are those who have studied Buddhism for ten, twenty years, earning one degree after another, yet in the end they remain scholars observing Buddhism from the outside, never having stood within it to practice and experience its spiritual value.

Buddhism is a path of practice. We study in order to practice, not to know for the sake of amusement.

Teacher Chan Quang warned about this condition: when we study too much, we imagine we understand the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), but in truth we are merely intoxicated with words and concepts, losing the value of direct spiritual realization.

The Buddha Taught for Practice, Not for Idle Understanding

The Buddha once taught about the five aggregates to Rahula while walking on his alms round. Upon hearing it, Rahula returned to the monastery and sat in meditation, skipping even his midday meal. In the evening, the Buddha continued teaching about the breath. Because he practiced exactly as taught, Rahula attained the fruit of an Arhat. He did not study in order to know; he studied in order to practice.

Sadly, we have abundant scriptures, yet few of us practice. We have heard the sutra on the breath, heard about impermanence (anicca), heard about Prajna wisdom, yet we have never truly observed body and mind according to the Buddha's instructions.

The Duty of a Buddhist Disciple: Four Essentials

So what makes a true Buddhist disciple? Teacher Chan Quang identified four core elements: first, to reverently worship the Buddha; second, to understand the life of the Buddha; third, to understand his teachings; and fourth, to practice according to those teachings.

Do not dismiss the reverent worship of the Buddha as mere outward form. If we do not worship the Buddha, then no matter how lofty our discourse on the teachings, we are not yet worthy of being called a Buddhist disciple.

The Merit of Prostrating to the Buddha: The Foundation of All Practice

I remember the story of a schoolteacher who was an excellent scholar of the Buddha's teachings (Dharma), but because he misunderstood the principle that "all is emptiness," he removed his altar to the Buddha altogether. He saw only one side and forgot cause and effect (karmic law). Teacher Chan Quang taught: All dharmas are like a dream, yet within that dream not a single point deviates from cause and effect (karmic law). To see both sides is the middle way.

Practicing without the merit of prostrating to the Buddha is like a house without a foundation. It cannot be built high, and if one greedily builds it high, it will collapse. And collapse here means losing one's mind.

Therefore, whatever the countless practices may say, strive to keep the practice of prostrating to the Buddha and never abandon it. This is the advice he always repeated: at least once each day, prostrate to the Buddha ten times, with a heart full of reverence.

How Does Prostrating to the Buddha Transform a Person?

If you are still greedy, if you speak harsh words, or if your ordinary face is looked down upon by others, simply prostrate to the Buddha with sincerity. Through this practice, our character gradually rises. Greed diminishes, speech becomes more dignified, and our countenance grows more serene.

Simply understand the Buddha in order to practice, revere the Buddha, and prostrate to the Buddha with proper devotion, and all wholesome merit will gradually open up before you, guiding your way forward.

Do not wait until you have studied enough. Do not wait for a future life. Begin with the simplest thing: each day, devote your whole mind and heart to prostrating to the Buddha. That is the gateway to all practice. Start today.