Although the Buddha is not with us today, we can feel his presence through his Dhamma. The path to Nibbāna is clearly recorded in the discourses. The Dhamma is alive and well in the fullness of the discourses. However, the biggest shortcoming we have today is that many people do not possess knowledge of the original words of the Buddha. As a result, they put forward their own views in place of the Dhamma. They describe the Dhamma according to their own preferred interpretations. This reveals their lack of respect and confidence in the Dhamma.

Some groups do not like others to obtain a clear understanding of the Dhamma. It is possible to manipulate society freely as long as ignorance of the Dhamma prevails. In contrast, it is not easy to mislead those who have a good knowledge of the original words of the Buddha recorded in the Pāli Canon. This is the why obstacles are placed to hinder the acquisition of Dhamma knowledge.

This Is the Best Time 

We still have some ability to understand the true nature of life. Therefore, we should not fall victim to the unfortunate fate of being misled by others. We are fortunate to have been born as human beings as a result of our past meritorious deeds; now we possess intelligence and the ability to think well and distinguish between truth and falsehood. Let us develop that mental ability as much as possible. This is called wise consideration (yonisomanasikāra), thinking in line with Dhamma. It is essential in understanding the Dhamma. Wise consideration means directing one’s thinking for the purpose of realizing the Dhamma. The person who possesses this ability is like the tongue that is sensitive to the flavor of the food. 

The Immaculate Dhamma

One who has the ability to think wisely needs to hear the Buddha’s original discourses. These discourses contain clear words devoid of distorted meanings. When the meanings of words are distorted, the Dhamma becomes distorted as well. When the words in the Dhamma are not clearly interpreted, the Dhamma gets distorted. As a result, the distorted Dhamma leads to arguments and debates, instead of creating understanding.

The Buddha’s Dhamma contains clear instructions for realizing the Four Noble Truths in this very life. The noble truth of suffering must be realized. The noble truth of the origin of suffering must be eradicated. The noble truth of the cessation of suffering must be attained. The noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering must be developed. An understanding of these Four Noble Truths gives us right view. Right view does not occur spontaneously; two factors are needed to gain right view. One must get the opportunity to hear the Dhamma that describes the Four Noble Truths and one must develop wise consideration.

The Dhamma and Wise Consideration

After hearing the Dhamma, one must engage in wise consideration, thinking in line with the Dhamma. The Dhamma that one listens to must clearly explain the Four Noble Truths. 

We should rejoice over having the good fortune to study the Buddha’s Dhamma, in its original form, even after twenty-six centuries. We should study this sublime Dhamma with immense respect and confidence. The Dhamma has the power to transform human life and bring complete liberation. We should study the Dhamma until we retain it well in our mind.

We should not seek refuge in our own intelligence. We should beware of people who distort the path to Nibbāna by saying that seeking refuge in the Buddha means seeking refuge in one’s own intelligence. By saying this, they misinterpret the word of Buddha as their own knowledge. With this misunderstanding, one may reject the Buddha and disregard the guidance of the Blessed One. We should protect ourselves by listening only to the authentic Dhamma. Confidence arises when one studies the Dhamma with great respect and thinks: “Millions of people have achieved liberation through this noble Dhamma.” Then the desire arises to retain the Dhamma in one’s mind. When one tries to understand the Dhamma intelligently, it becomes clearer and clearer. 

Begin with Confidence

When one tries to understand the Dhamma intelligently, a very powerful confidence arises in one’s mind that the Buddha definitely achieved the exalted state of Enlightenment without anyone’s help. One also develops a great admiration for the sublime Dhamma. As a result, great respect and admiration arises in one’s mind for the disciples, the community of noble monks who have followed the Dhamma. 

The fortunate person who acquires confidence with proper understanding in this way then develops a desire to follow the Noble Eightfold Path. Such a person is referred to in the Dhamma as the faith follower (saddhānusārī). The faith follower has faith foremost in his mind and rejects everything that is contrary to the Dhamma. He accepts only the authentic teachings of the Buddha. He gets established in Dhamma. His confidence is not mere blind faith. Blind faith has no place in the Dhamma taught by the Buddha. There is no room for truth within blind faith.

From Confidence to Wisdom

The confident disciple develops an investigative intellect through wise consideration, which is thinking in accordance with the Dhamma. He hears and learns about the sublime Dhamma containing the truth in the world—the Four Noble Truths. This disciple who directs his thinking for the purpose of understanding the Four Noble Truths is referred to as the Dhamma follower (dhammānusāri).

The Wise One Sees the Dhamma 

The Dhamma follower gradually practices serenity (samatha) and insight (vipassanā) meditation to develop his wisdom toward realization of the Four Noble Truths. He is following the noble path to attain the fruit of stream-entry. He is called the disciple on the path to stream-entry (sotāpatti phala saccikiriyāya paṭipanno).

Right View

The first component of the Noble Eightfold Path is right view. The Buddha stated that the arising of right view in one’s life is the dawning of understanding the truth of life. In the noble path, right view means knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. The disciple has knowledge that: 

There exists a noble truth of suffering that must be realized.

There exists a noble truth of the origin of suffering that must be eradicated.

There exists a noble truth of the cessation of suffering that must be attained.

There exists a noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering that must be developed. 

This is the disciple’s right view. With the arising of right view, self-view (sakkāyadiṭṭhi) is eliminated. Self-view is the deeply rooted view in the mind about the existence of a self over which one exercises control. All doubts about the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha) are eliminated. One abandons the mindset of wrongfully grasping behavior and observances. An unshakable confidence in the Triple Gem is established. The disciple with right view maintains virtue (sīla) with proper understanding. He becomes a disciple who is firmly established in the Noble Eightfold Path. The spiritual faculties of confidence (saddhā), effort (vīriya), mindfulness (sati), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā) are established in his life.

The Buddha identified this disciple as the stream-enterer (sotāpanna), which means one who has entered the Noble Eightfold Path. From that point onward, the stream-enterer continually develops his mind until he realizes Nibbāna. He will never experience suffering again in the animal world, ghost world, asura world, or hell. Within seven lives at most, he will end his journey in the cycle of rebirth.

The Fortunate Disciple

The stream-enterer, who has firmly established his life in the path of the Buddha, is an extremely fortunate person. He is not a helpless, servile person who prays fearfully. He will not betray his faith and confidence for the sake of job, marriage, or livelihood. He will even risk his life to protect his confidence. The Buddha says the great earth will one day crumble to pieces and be destroyed and the great oceans will dry up, however, the confidence of the stream-enterer will not be shaken. His confidence is steadfast; it is immaculate, magnificent, and unflinching.

Please help and encourage everyone you know to acquire this noble confidence. Do not miss this precious opportunity in life.

An excerpt from the book “Dependent Origination” 

authored by Most Venerable Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera