The Purpose of Learning Buddhism

The ultimate purpose of studying the Buddha's teachings is to exhaustively eliminate ignorance and afflictions. When afflictions are exhausted, one is beyond training (aśaikṣa), and there is no longer any need to study the Buddha's teachings. In the Small Vehicle, those beyond training are the fourth-fruit great arhats and the solitary realizers (pratyekabuddhas); in the Great Vehicle, the one beyond training is the World-Honored Buddha. The Small Vehicle's stage beyond training only exhaustively eliminates fundamental ignorance with respect to liberation from birth and death within the three realms, and thus one is beyond training; but not all ignorance and afflictions have been exhausted, so there is still something to learn. The Great Vehicle requires not only the exhaustion of fundamental ignorance, but the complete elimination of beginningless ignorance (avidyā) as well before one is truly beyond training. As long as there is ignorance, one must learn; when there is no ignorance, there is nothing left to learn—everything is understood, everything has been realized, and study comes to an end.

The Small Vehicle venerable, the fourth-fruit arhat Cūḍapanthaka, due to karmic obstructions from past lives, although he had attained the fourth fruit of arhatship, could not expound the Dharma. Yet even though he could not expound the Dharma, his fundamental ignorance was exhausted and his afflictions eliminated, so he could transcend the three realms and attain liberation—he was a noble one beyond training, no longer needing to study the principle of liberation through the Four Noble Truths. But the Great Vehicle's World-Honored Buddha, who is beyond training, has exhausted all ignorance, and all the Buddha's teachings flow forth the moment He opens His mouth—He can expound them all. Bodhisattvas can also expound the Dharma, because bodhisattvas do not separate from sentient beings; being together with sentient beings, they inevitably must teach the Dharma. Because teaching the Dharma accumulates immense merit, bodhisattvas are more skilled than arhats at expounding the Dharma and possess greater merit. Even bodhisattvas who have just begun studying Buddhism must teach the Dharma even if they do not understand it, expounding it in a bungled, neither-fish-nor-fowl manner, not knowing themselves what they are talking about.

Once the purpose of studying Buddhism and the Dharma is clear, then in studying Buddhism we should not flaunt our knowledge of the Buddha's teachings everywhere. Acquiring and mastering knowledge is not the goal; it is a means for eliminating afflictions. Once afflictions are eliminated, all knowledge becomes useless—except when it is needed to deliver sentient beings by teaching the Dharma. Therefore, in the process of studying Buddhism, observing one's own ignorance and afflictions, subduing afflictions, and eliminating afflictions is extremely important, while knowledge of Buddhist studies becomes relatively less important. We should not put the cart before the horse, ignoring our own afflictions while running about acquiring knowledge. Even if you learn knowledge by the five cartloads, once you create a single unwholesome karma driven by afflictions—the grave leading to the Avīci hell, the lighter to the animal realm—can your knowledge of Buddhist studies save you? Carrying a rich store of knowledge into the three evil realms, would you still have the opportunity or the mood to show off?