A Unified Buddhism: Letting Go of Sectarianism, Returning to the Root of Love

Have you ever felt sadness seeing people who go to the same temple and bow to the same Buddha, yet become distant or even cold toward one another simply because they belong to different schools? This painful reality was shared by Venerable Thich Chan Quang in his dharma talk titled "A Unified Buddhism." He recounted that sectarian division began just one hundred years after the Buddha passed into nirvana. From a single source, various schools gradually separated, each interpreting the teachings in their own way, leading to the mindset where everyone believed they were right. The tragedy is not that there are many methods of practice, but that sectarian differences have caused us to stop loving one another.

The truly sorrowful aspect is that merely due to the division into different schools, children of the Buddha often no longer love each other. This is what is most heartbreaking.

### The Noble Eightfold Path – The Thread Connecting All Directions

How can we overcome this division? The answer lies in the Noble Eightfold Path, the eight-branched path taught by the Buddha. This is the golden standard, the common ground for all. If each school focuses only on certain aspects—such as some emphasizing meditative concentration, others focusing solely on making merit, and still others concentrating only on studying sutras—the practice remains incomplete. Venerable Thich Chan Quang emphasized that only when we master the entire Noble Eightfold Path and rediscover a unified Buddhism will we find true joy and something worthy of pride.

If anyone takes the Noble Eightfold Path as their basis for practice, they are aiming toward a unified Buddhism. Conversely, if someone does not know about the Noble Eightfold Path, does not understand it deeply, or dismisses it as inferior, they are not aiming toward a unified Buddhism.

### Do Not Let Sectarianism Become a Barrier

Many people proudly declare, "I practice Zen," "I follow Pure Land," or "I am Theravada." However, according to the teacher, if we stop there and stubbornly defend our specific school, we inadvertently build a wall of separation. He advised that we draw boundaries around ourselves and stand rigidly within them, refusing to tear down those fences to step out and reunite with our brothers and sisters in the Dharma. We should view our school merely as a starting point, an initial condition (duyên), rather than the final destination.

Our happiness and pride now lie in a unified Buddhism, not in isolated sects.

### Practice: Study, Make Merit, and Meditate

A unified Buddhism is not a haphazard mixture, but a return to what is most correct. To achieve this, we must fully practice three aspects: understanding the teachings through Right View, performing good deeds through Right Action, and cultivating mindfulness through Right Effort and meditation. The teacher instructed that once we understand the Dharma deeply, we must always engage in practice and accumulate merit. Yet, if we study extensively and perform many good deeds without dedicating time to gathering the mind in meditative concentration, we still do not fully comprehend the Noble Eightfold Path.

This is the only door through which we can escape the status of ordinary beings and advance toward noble attainment.

### Be True Children of the Buddha

In a world filled with turmoil, Buddhism has been recognized by UNESCO as the religion of peace. If we continue to divide, Buddhism will weaken, and the world will lose a great source of tranquility. Therefore, each of us has the responsibility to preserve and spread the spirit of unity. Let us look at one another with eyes of compassion, for we are all children of the Buddha. As the teacher urged, let us promise today that such divisions belong to the past. We must not carry sectarianism into the future; instead, we move forward seeking a unified Buddhism.

Let us begin immediately: open your hearts, let go of prejudices, and together practice the Noble Eightfold Path. This is the only way for us to truly be one family, holding hands as we walk the path toward enlightenment.