The True Practitioner in Modern Times: Different Forms, an Unchanged Heart

Have you ever seen a monk wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle and wondered: is this person a genuine practitioner? In the past, practitioners wore robes, carried alms bowls, and walked barefoot. Today, they still wear robes, but they also wear helmets. The outward form has changed from before, but is their heart the same as it once was? The dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang on "The True Practitioner in Modern Times" helps us look again at the essence of practice in the flow of the times.

Moral Discipline: The Foundation That Does Not Change

In any era, a true practitioner must first of all love and cherish the moral precepts. The precepts are not rigid rules, but a firm resolve not to do wrong. Venerable Thích Chân Quang emphasizes: "The precepts mean not doing wrong. And the true practitioner who loves and cherishes the precepts is affirming that they will not do wrong." A practitioner must determine in their heart, with absolute certainty, not to do wrong—whether or not they succeed in keeping that resolve is another matter. The story of the Zen master Nansen killing the cat is a sobering lesson: although an enlightened being may sometimes act in unconventional ways, we should not take that as a reason to disregard the precepts.

Whether or not one succeeds in keeping them is another matter. But in the heart, one must first resolve with certainty never to do wrong.

Meditative Concentration: There Is No Shortcut to Samadhi

A true practitioner cannot be without the effort of meditative concentration. Whatever the method, from reciting the Buddha's name to contemplating the breath, everything must be achieved through diligent effort. Venerable Thích Chân Quang warns against those who seek to enter deep concentration through drugs. Such things only create illusory states and destroy the body. In contrast, true meditative concentration makes the bones firm and solid, and illness gradually diminishes. The difference is as clear as that between a precious gem and a discarded thing.

When we sit in meditation to enter deep concentration, the opposite happens—the bones do not decay, but grow firm and strong day by day.

Wisdom: Seeing Clearly Sin and Merit

Wisdom is not broad knowledge or many academic degrees. Wisdom is the ability to see clearly what is sinful and what is meritorious in every circumstance of life. A true practitioner must have eyes as clear and awake as the Buddha's in the Lotus Sutra, a light that shines from the depths of hell to the peak of heaven—that is, seeing to the very end of sin and merit.

If that person knows clearly every little detail of sin and merit in this life, that person is called wise.

Morality, Compassion, and Diligent Effort

From the three roots of moral discipline, meditative concentration, and wisdom, the true practitioner radiates morality in speech, gesture, and conduct. A heart of compassion is a heart that loves all sentient beings, but loving does not mean indulging. There are times when one must be strict in order to help others correct their faults. And diligent effort means wasting no time at all. The true practitioner cherishes every instant, maintaining mindfulness in every moment. Such a person of great diligent effort is worthy of being a model for the world.

A person who cherishes every tick of the clock—such a person's diligent effort makes them worthy to be a teacher of all, a model for the world.

Reverence for the Buddha: The Key to Realizing the Path

What differs between the past and the present is reverence for the Buddha. When the Buddha was still alive in the world, his disciples lived in absolute reverence and thus quickly realized the path. Today, the Buddha has entered nirvana; we only see statues of the Buddha and read the sutras in remembrance, so our reverence is not constant. The true practitioner is one who rebuilds a deep and thorough reverence for the Buddha within their own heart. It is precisely because of this that they will, sooner or later, realize the path.

Therefore, whoever has wisdom must rebuild within their own heart a reverence for the Buddha that is deep and thorough.

Adapting to the Times: Still a True Practitioner

As the times change, the true practitioner must also be flexible. A monk wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle is not a false practitioner, for he still keeps the precepts, but he must also obey the law. The practice of temporarily setting aside monastic life is also an adaptation, since many temples today have only one practitioner who must look after the temple. In particular, the concept of nation and love of country was not clearly understood in the past, but today the true practitioner must have responsibility and love for the country in which they live. Venerable Thích Chân Quang emphasizes that only Buddhism teaches this in a profound way.

Only Buddhism teaches love of country. Other religions, although we recognize them as legitimate religions, do not teach about love of country. To live in a nation and never speak of love of country would be a great shortcoming.

So the true practitioner of modern times does not necessarily have to follow the outward forms of the past. The core still lies in moral discipline, meditative concentration, wisdom, and reverence for the Buddha. Let us ask ourselves: amid the countless changes of life, can we keep the heart of true practice? Starting today, let us learn to live in mindfulness in every moment, to love and cherish the precepts, and to always turn toward the Buddha.