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The purpose of the Buddha's teachings: to transcend delusion and fantasy.
In the previous lecture, we discussed a very important issue: the fundamental ideological foundations that a true believer in Buddhism must establish, which involves overcoming several basic barriers. First, whether one agrees with the concept of the three-time-life view; second, whether one can cultivate a mind of renunciation after agreeing with the three-time-life view.
For those who can cultivate a mind of renunciation, there are two types of beings. The first type is someone with a strong desire to renounce, who deeply identifies with the suffering of their current life and has a strong aspiration to eliminate their inner afflictions and attain the pure Nirvana. The Buddha taught these beings a teaching called Hinayana Buddhism.
The second type of being does not regard their own suffering as suffering but sees the suffering of all beings as their own suffering. They do not seek only their own liberation but the liberation of all beings. They regard the liberation of all beings as their own liberation and consider guiding all beings to liberation as their path to liberation. This level of ideological境界 and mindset has a special name in Buddhism, called bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is a very profound concept, and in our subsequent courses, we will explore what bodhicitta is from different angles and levels.
When a person not only cultivates a mind of renunciation but also generates bodhicitta, the Buddha's teachings for such beings are called Mahayana Buddhism, or the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Diamond Sutra, which we will study in this course, is an extremely important classic within Mahayana Buddhism.
At this point, let us summarize. I have divided the Buddha's teachings into four levels:
First, for those who do not agree with the three-time-life view, they can study the Buddha's teachings as knowledge and culture. This is the first level.
Second, for those who agree with the three-time-life view but cannot cultivate a mind of renunciation, they should study the Buddha's human and heavenly vehicle teachings.
Third, for those who agree with the three-time-life view and can cultivate a mind of renunciation but cannot generate bodhicitta, they should study the Buddha's Hinayana teachings.
Fourth, for those who agree with the three-time-life view, can cultivate a mind of renunciation, and can also generate bodhicitta, the Buddha taught Mahayana Buddhism.
Practicing the human and heavenly vehicle teachings ensures that one will attain a good rebirth in the next life, avoiding the realms of animals, hungry ghosts, and hell.
Practicing Hinayana teachings leads to the final fruit of eliminating one's inner afflictions and attaining the liberation of self-realized Nirvana, known in Buddhism as an Arhat.
Practicing Mahayana teachings means taking the suffering of all beings as one's own suffering and seeking liberation through guiding all beings to liberation. The ultimate fruit of this practice is becoming a Buddha.
In the face of these levels of the Buddha's teachings, everyone studying Buddhism should reflect on their current spiritual state and determine which level of the Buddha's teachings they can embrace. Of course, the Buddha ultimately hopes that all beings will practice Mahayana teachings and attain Buddhahood.
Now, we will enter the core content of this course: how to cross this river, specifically what path the Buddha provided for attaining Buddhahood within Mahayana teachings. This is the core of Buddhism.
How does one become a Buddha? First, we need to address a question: why did Shakyamuni attain Buddhahood while we remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death? What causes our cycle of birth and death? This is extremely important. If you believe you have found the cause of our cycle of birth and death, eliminating that cause would lead to liberation and Buddhahood. This is the first key point in studying Buddhism.
The Buddha realized enlightenment and became a Buddha, providing a path to Buddhahood for us. In the Buddha's view, why do ordinary beings cycle through birth and death and fail to attain Nirvana? The answer is delusion! Delusion!
The Buddha, upon attaining enlightenment, referred to himself as "Buddha." The Sanskrit term "Buddha" has been translated into Chinese as "佛" or "佛陀" in the history of Han Buddhism. In the sutras of Han Buddhism, whenever we see the word "佛" or "佛陀," it corresponds to the Sanskrit "Buddha." Of course, why "Buddha" is translated as "佛" or "佛陀" is an academic topic still debated, but we will not discuss it here.
What does "Buddha" mean? In modern Chinese, "Buddha" can be explained as "awakened one," where "awakened" refers to the "awakening" in "awakened." In simple terms, it means a wise person. At the age of thirty-something, Shaky