Do Not Praise Yourself: Letting Go of Even the Buddha's Teachings (Dharma)

There was a teacher in Hanoi who had a stable career and a steady salary, and everyone advised her to continue teaching. But one day, she suddenly switched to working for the Dharma — bringing recorded lectures into temples and libraries. When people asked why, she said: "I still bring benefit to others, just like teaching, but I am happier." A woman who heard this simply said: "Well, if you have found joy in life, there is nothing more to discuss. In this life, the ultimate goal is simply to have joy and to bring joy to others. A life like that is already complete."

This story opens a truly beautiful perspective on the spiritual life: doing good deeds with a mind that does not cling to credit, at the right time and in the right place, so that only pure joy remains. And in the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha taught something even deeper: even what is called "the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)" should not be clung to. "So-called Dharma is not Dharma" — what is called the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) is, in truth, not the Buddha's teachings (Dharma).

What Are the Buddha's Teachings (Dharma)?

Many people study lofty doctrine and read the Mahayana sutras, but when asked "What are the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)?" they are startled. Master Thích Chân Quang once told of asking his top mathematics students: "What is one squared?" and no one could answer. In the same way, we may memorize entire great sutras yet forget the simplest thing:

"The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) are the way to live well in this life. When I meet a poor person and I feel compassion and treat them kindly, that is the Buddha's teachings (Dharma). Sometimes I am misunderstood, people speak badly of me, and I practice patience without anger — that is the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)."

But the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) are not only about living well. The Master also showed that the Dharma is the way to transcend life. These two meanings sound contradictory, yet they complement each other. For only when the mind transcends life can we treat life with kindness. It is like a couple arguing: as an outsider, we can offer gentle advice, but if we are the ones arguing, everything falls apart. Living well and transcending are, in essence, one.

The third meaning: the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) are a source of benefit for the world, not a place to attract material support. A practitioner should not turn away from people while caring only for the interests of Buddhism. If the country is poor, with grand temples while people's homes are crumbling, then Buddhism cannot be secure either. Once the nation is lost, where would Buddhism remain?

The More You Practice, the More You Lose: Three Precious Lettings Go

Practicing according to the Buddha means the more you practice, the more you lose. But this loss is not deprivation — it is letting go. A Sotapanna — one who has entered the stream of the noble ones — loses three things:

Losing selfishness: No longer thinking only of oneself, always yielding benefits to others.

Losing doubt and hesitation: Being certain that the path one walks is right, so that even in death one is not mistaken.

Losing attachment: No longer clinging to small matters — sandals placed out of order, a seat taken, or being pushed to sit far from the Buddha.

Master Chân Quang put it in very down-to-earth words:

"A Sotapanna is called one who has entered the stream, but in truth, what has he entered? He has not entered into any form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or mental object. That is what makes a Sotapanna. The more you practice, the more you lose."

Losing selfishness is truly painful, and losing attachment is even more bitter, because attachment has long become instinct. But a practitioner who progresses is one who knows how to lose. When things fall away, we no longer see ourselves as "attaining" anything — we only find everything lighter and more harmonious.

Do Not Let the Mind's Pride Deceive You

When practice bears fruit, the mind becomes pure and life grows more fortunate, and we easily believe we have attained realization. But the Buddha warned very carefully: the mind's pride only ends at the stage of an Arhat. Even a Sotapanna still has it. "The Buddha gave this warning very thoroughly in the section on cutting the fetters." We must guard against the mind's pride, because when it appears, everything collapses. This is precisely the teaching of "do not praise yourself" in the Diamond Sutra.

Therefore, always remember that whatever you have attained is still nothing. And look around at the many people still lost in delusion — not yet knowing cause and effect (karmic law), not yet having faith in the Three Jewels, not yet knowing how to let go. These are the two states of heart of the noble ones:

First, humility: seeing oneself as still small within the Buddha's teachings (Dharma).

Second, love and the wish for all beings to progress on the path.

Conclusion: The Joy of One Who Lets Go

If we understand the spirit of the Diamond Sutra — doing countless good deeds without clinging to credit, not even clinging to "the Buddha's teachings (Dharma)" — then life becomes wonderfully at ease. Do not praise yourself; simply work quietly for the benefit of others. Every small good deed, every shared smile, every letting go of an attachment is another moment we find a joy that makes this human life worthwhile.

Like the teacher in that story who chose to trade her teaching career for the Dharma — not for status or material support, but only for a greater joy. And what about you? Do you dare to let go, so you can see that you are truly entering the stream of the noble ones?