The Buddha Altar and the Price of Arrogance

That night, the air in the small house in Long City was thick and heavy, with only the ticking of a clock counting the passing seconds. A dim yellow light fell on the wooden table, where a bottle of medicinal alcohol and rolls of stark white gauze lay. I was only twenty then, quite young, sitting opposite a middle-aged man with a gaunt face but eyes that burned with a fierce, challenging pride.

The man was a high school teacher, renowned in the area for his profound knowledge of Buddhism. He often visited my dharma friend, Brother Chanh's, house to debate. That day, Brother Chanh had asked him to massage his and his wife's limbs when I paid an unexpected visit. Seeing me enter, Brother Chanh hurriedly introduced us, "This is Thay Chan Quang, and this is Teacher. He studies the Buddha's teachings with great depth."

Teacher looked at me with an expression that was half-curious, half-disdainful. He began to speak, his tone rapid and harsh, as if to prove his own "superiority" before a naive youth.

"Do you know, Reverend? The five aggregates are all Empty. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. If everything is Empty, what is there to worship? What is there to revere? My in-laws' house had a solemn Buddha altar, but I have persuaded them to dismantle it all. Why? Clinging to images is superstition, a failure to comprehend the Prajna wisdom."

I listened quietly, observing his manner. In his words, I felt a terrifying emptiness, a misunderstanding of "Emptiness" that had turned into a clean denial of all karmic law and reverence. He went on at length, believing he had transcended all ritualistic bonds and reached the highest state of liberation.

When he paused, waiting for my admiration, I spoke gently, my voice calm yet firm:

"Sir, it is true that all phenomena are Empty, like a dream. But sir, within that very dream, not a single occurrence deviates from the law of cause and effect. If you only see the emptiness of phenomena but forget cause and effect, that is the emptiness of annihilation, a wrong view. Conversely, if you only see cause and effect but not their empty nature, that is a view of eternal substance, which is also not the Middle Way."

Teacher was stunned, his mouth agape but unable to utter a word. I continued my analysis, pointing out that venerating the Buddha is not a superstitious act, but a means to cultivate a humble mind, to connect with the boundless compassion and wisdom of all Buddhas. His act of arbitrarily dismantling the altar and dismissing the ritual was, in truth, a manifestation of an enormous ego, of arrogance masked by a veneer of philosophical reasoning.

Our conversation lasted almost until midnight. Gradually, the pride in his eyes faded, replaced by a silent, pensive look. I do not share this story to boast of my debating skills in my youth, but to remind us of a painful reality: Many people study Buddhism, read scriptures for years, even hold advanced degrees, yet they lose the most crucial foundation—that is, faith and reverence for the Three Jewels.

A correct understanding of the Buddha's teachings should make a person balanced, gentle, kind, and reverent. If the more one studies, the more one feels superior to others; the more one learns, the more one dares to break basic ethical standards, then that is a sign of regression, of building a house on sand without a foundation.

**The Meaning of the Story**

The core lesson is: A disciple of the Buddha needs four basic conditions: To worship and revere the Buddha, to understand the life of the Buddha, to understand the Buddha's teachings, and to practice according to those teachings. Among these, worship (venerating the Buddha) is the most solid foundation. If one lacks the foundation of merit from faith and reverence, no matter how wide their learning or how deep their meditative concentration, that person can easily fall into wrong views, arrogance, or even go "insane" from a "collapsed house" due to a missing foundation. Studying Buddhism is not to become a proud scholar, but to transform the mind, uphold the karmic law, and cultivate moral virtue.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thich Chan Quang.*