The Diamond Sutra (Part Seven): True Help – When the Buddha Says "I Have Never Taught the Dharma"

Have you ever memorized sutras or listened to countless dharma talks yet still felt unsettled? Perhaps you have attended temple for ten years, completed many doctrinal courses, and received numerous certificates, but when someone asks, “What have you learned?” you suddenly feel you have learned nothing at all. This is precisely the feeling evoked by today’s teaching from Venerable Thích Chân Quang on the Diamond Sutra – a scripture that may seem daunting due to its profundity, yet offers a profoundly intimate and profound wake-up call.

**The Buddha’s Teaching: Do Not Cling to the Dharma**

In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha asks Venerable Subhūti: “Did the Tathāgata attain supreme, perfect enlightenment and did he teach the Dharma?” Venerable Subhūti replied no. The Buddha then said, “The Tathāgata has not taught the Dharma.” This may seem paradoxical since the Buddha taught for forty-five years. However, Venerable Chân Quang explains that this statement should not be understood rigidly: one cannot say the Buddha taught, nor can one say he did not teach. This is because the Tathāgata’s teaching is “ungraspable” – it cannot be clung to or held onto.

“The Dharma that the Buddha spoke cannot be clung to, nor is there any place for us to seize it.”

Venerable Chân Quang emphasizes: “The things the Buddha taught, we are not allowed to cling to or turn into a rigid mold.” This means that when studying the Buddha's teachings, we should not transform the doctrine into a rigid system to bind ourselves or others. The Dharma is not an imposed law but an open guide.

**Why Non-Attachment?**

The Buddha taught for forty-five years, yet he said he had not taught. If we follow the Buddha our whole lives and study throughout, what have we truly learned? Venerable Chân Quang states: “If the Buddha himself said that for forty-five years he never taught, then in following him our entire lives, we too have never truly studied.” Yet in reality, we still chant sutras, listen to teachings, and practice. Why then say we have learned nothing?

Venerable Chân Quang presents an intriguing formula: “Anyone who studies diligently and earnestly their whole life, yet still feels they have learned nothing – that person has truly learned the Buddha’s teachings. This is the secret essence of the Diamond Sutra.” Conversely, if someone studies for ten years, earns many certificates, and feels proud of their knowledge, then they “have truly learned nothing” – because they still cling to the idea of “I have learned.” To study Buddhism and feel one has learned something still carries a mind of arrogance, still trapped in the notion of “self.” To study Buddhism and feel one has learned nothing – that is the true beginning of genuine learning.

“The Buddha taught for forty-five years, yet he never taught anything. We follow him for five or ten years, and we become proud and attached to our achievements – that truly means we have learned nothing essential about the Buddhist path.”

**The Dharma Is Not a Separate World**

Venerable Chân Quang warns against a very common misunderstanding: many believe that entering a temple means stepping into a different world with its own rules, customs, and a requirement to abandon the outside world. But that is “a mold” created by people – not the true Buddhist path.

He says: “The teachings of Buddhism aim to resolve the affairs of our daily lives; the temple is not a place that, once entered, becomes a strange world with strange rules and a strange way of life.” The Buddha did not teach to create a religion of binding rituals, but to help us live better within our families, society, and within our own hearts. Therefore, the Dharma has nothing to cling to – it is like a raft to cross a river; once we reach the shore, we abandon the raft.

“The Buddha taught the Dharma to resolve the everyday matters of our lives, within our daily circumstances, and within our hearts – not to construct a separate world or a rigid mold.”

Thus, wearing a monastic robe or shaving one’s head – these are simply customs, not binding requirements. One may wear a robe when visiting the temple or not; neatness is what matters. The important thing is to apply the Buddha’s teachings in daily life: reduce greed and hatred, live with kindness, and harm no one.

**The Inexpressible Teaching**

“Unspeakable” means it cannot be expressed in words. Why is that? Venerable Chân Quang explains that language is merely a provisional tool, incapable of fully conveying the higher states of spiritual realization. For example, the word “purity” – each person understands it differently. A sage understands purity through their own wisdom, while an ordinary person might imagine “quietness” – any meaning can be partially correct, yet incomplete. Even the words “Nirvana – cessation” might sound like a dark place, but in reality, it is a state of supreme clarity and understanding. It cannot be described in words.

The Buddha traveled through many regions with different languages, teaching so that everyone could understand – showing he was not attached to any particular language. His teachings are merely provisional tools, a form to guide us onward, not the ultimate goal.

“Language is merely a provisional means; it is not the ultimate end.”

**Learning in Order to Cease Learning**

Thus, the “true help” of the Buddha’s teachings does not lie in pulling us into a new system, but in dismantling old bindings – our patterns, fame, and ambitions – so we may return to the natural peace of our hearts. Once we have unbound all attachments, then “there is nothing called the Buddha’s teachings anymore.” When you genuinely feel you have learned nothing, that is precisely the moment you begin to awaken to what the Buddha wished to convey.

Study patiently, yet with a mind free of attachment. Go to the temple, chant sutras, listen to teachings – but do not turn these into reasons for pride. Let the Buddha’s teachings be a gentle reminder: “Do not cling, do not form judgments; simply live in peace and tranquility.” This is the true help that the Diamond Sutra opens the path for us to find.

May you discover freedom within this wordless teaching. Homage to our Original Teacher, Śākyamuni Buddha.