II. How to see the real buddha
There are many manifestations of the buddha in the six realms of rebirth. For example, in hell, the buddha appears in the form of beings in hell. In the animal realm, he appears in the form of animals; these forms may look the same as other animals, but their inner state of realization is completely different. The same is true in the human realm; to facilitate communication with ordinary people, the buddha appears in a human form to save human beings. However, these manifestations of the buddha according to the needs of different sentient beings are not the real buddha. What is the real buddha? It is the dharmakaya of the buddha, which is the true nature of our own mind. When we realize the nature of mind, we also see the real buddha.
Compared to things that can never be seen or experienced, it is easier to accept and explore the nature of our own mind. If we are asked to believe in a certain god or mysterious being, not everyone can do so. If you believe in these mysterious figures, it is not a problem at all; but if you do not believe in them, you can never prove whether they truly exist. This then becomes mysticism – something that cannot be logically proven or personally experienced, and can only be supported by faith. Many people, especially young people, may find this difficult to accept.
What is expounded in Chan, Dzogchen, and Mahamudra can also seem mysterious on the surface, but it is in fact our own mind. It allows us to see the true nature of our mind in a direct way, to catch a glimpse of its original face. This straightforward approach is called pointing out one's mind, and is relatively easy. Of course, from another perspective, it is also quite challenging because our thinking, exploration, and observation are often confined to the level of consciousness, which is not easy to break through. Nonetheless, if we put in a little effort and use the right method, we can fully experience the nature of mind.
1.Rely on good teachers and never enter the path of evil
If you do not understand on your own, you must consult a good teacher to get to the root of cyclic existence.
If you do not understand on your own, you must consult a good teacher. If you do not understand buddha nature, you must look for a good teacher and rely on the guru. This is very important!
To get to the root of cyclic existence. The cycle of life and death is rooted in ignorance. We gain the wisdom of enlightenment by relying on good teachers, and then use this wisdom to cut through ignorance; in so doing, we eradicate the root of cyclic existence.
So, what is a good teacher? What kind of teacher should we look for?
A person who does not see his nature cannot be called a good teacher.
A person who does not see his nature cannot be called a good teacher. This sentence is very important. This is what Chan Buddhism requires of a guru, or what is deemed the standard for a good teacher. We rely on the guru for enlightenment. If the guru himself is not enlightened, what is the use of relying on him? You can only recite the buddha's name, recite sutras, etc., but you cannot hope for enlightenment, so you must find a good teacher who has attained enlightenment.
Even if he can expound the twelve divisions of the scriptures, he will remain in the cycle of birth and death, and suffer in the three realms with no hope of escape.
Even if he can expound the twelve divisions of the scriptures, he will remain in the cycle of birth and death. If the good teacher you are looking for, or even yourself, has not attained enlightenment but can discourse the twelve divisions of the scriptures eloquently, memorizing it backwards and forwards, it is no more than intellectual chatter. It cannot truly eliminate the cause of cyclic existence, so reincarnation in the cycle of life and death is still unavoidable.
And suffer in the three realms with no hope of escape. In the end, he will still suffer in the three realms of existence with no hope of attaining liberation.
In the past, a monk named Sunakshatra was able to recite the twelve divisions of the scriptures, yet he could not escape rebirth because he did not see his nature. If such was the case with Sunakshatra, people nowadays who teach three or five sutras or sastras and think it is the Dharma are fools.
In the past, a monk named Sunakshatra was able to recite the twelve divisions of the scriptures. The Mahaparinirvana Sutra says: In the past when the Buddha was alive, a monk called Sunakshatra was proficient in the twelve divisions of the scriptures, yet he could not escape rebirth.
Why? Because he did not see his nature. The main reason being he was not enlightened – even though Sunakshatra was an exceptional scholar, he failed to realize the true meaning behind the words.
If such was the case with Sunakshatra, people nowadays who teach three or five sutras or sastras and think it is the Dharma are fools. Even a person as accomplished as Sunakshatra cannot escape reincarnation, let alone those who only preach three or five sutras. Those who think they understand the Dharma are ignorant people!
Unless you recognize your own mind, reciting a lot of prose is useless.
The so-called prose are books that are inessential and have little to do with understanding the mind and seeing its nature. If you cannot recognize the nature of mind, it is useless to read books that cannot help you reach that objective.
From another perspective, there are many books in Buddhism on reasoning and logic – are they prose? Certainly not. As previously mentioned, there are different standards for different levels. Everyone should be clear on this.
If you want to find the buddha, you just need to see your nature.Your nature is the buddha, and the buddha is a free person – there is nothing the buddha needs to do.
If you want to find the buddha, you just need to see your nature. If you want to find the buddha and know where the buddha is, you must attain enlightenment and see your nature.
Your nature is the buddha, and the buddha is a free person. The nature of mind is the dharmakaya; the nirmanakaya is a human being, not a god, but he is supreme among humans. Why is he supreme among men? Because the buddha is a completely free person. He has cut through ignorance and all defilements, and is entirely at ease in any situation–he has eliminated in essence all the things that hold people captive and keep them from being free.
There is nothing the buddha needs to do. There is nothing that remains to be done.
This has the same meaning as the path of no more learning in the Buddhist scriptures. The path of no more learning is the last of the five paths; "no more learning" means there is nothing left to learn. Prior to that, there are many things we want to achieve, such as accumulating merit, eliminating defilements, and realizing the nature of mind; when we get to the path of no more learning, everything that needs to be done has already been completed, and there is nothing left to do. From the perspective of benefiting the self, the buddha has reached the highest level with no room for improvement, so nothing remains to be done; but from the perspective of benefiting others, the buddha is of course very busy.
However, here we are talking about the dharmakaya. The dharmakaya of the buddha is not a human being; there is basically nothing for it to do, not in the past, present, or future. From the standpoint of self-interest, the dharmakaya does not do anything; from the standpoint of altruism, the dharmakaya still has nothing to do – the dharmakaya benefits sentient beings through the sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya, rather than directly by itself. This is what "doing nothing" means.
If you do not see your nature and run around all day looking elsewhere for the buddha, you will not obtain anything.
If you do not see your nature and run around all day looking elsewhere for the buddha. Before enlightenment, we are occupied with virtuous practices every day, sometimes chanting the buddha’s name, sometimes releasing lives, and sometimes doing other things. If you search for the buddha in this way, you will not obtain anything.
From the perspective of enlightenment, these practices can only indirectly enable us to achieve enlightenment, so they are not the most important. Of course, if there is no enlightenment, we cannot say they are useless.
Remember! Bodhidharma was referring to the highest state of realization. We should regard it as a high standard that cannot be implemented in our daily life now. Why? What Bodhidharma said is still difficult for us to achieve; however, if upon listening to these words, we just give up on what we can do and have been doing – practicing the four and five preliminaries, cultivating renunciation and bodhicitta, even reciting the buddha’s name, how are we any different from those who do not learn Buddhism at all?
It is easy for us to fall into this state: we want to be enlightened but cannot realize it; we do not do what we can do; we fail to achieve high results or cannot accept low results, ultimately gaining nothing. Therefore, let us be very clear on this point – we must proceed step by step and gradually approach the state that Bodhidharma attained.
In fact, there is nothing to obtain. To understand this, you must consult a good teacher and strive hard to realize the true nature of things.
In fact, there is nothing to obtain. Ultimately, there is nothing to obtain, and there is nothing to realize, such as becoming a buddha or not. To understand this, to realize and understand the nature of all dharmas, you must consult a good teacher. You need to rely on good teachers and your guru.
Since you have nothing to gain, why should you seek out good teachers? From the perspective of ultimate truth, there is indeed nothing that can be achieved, but from the perspective of conventional or relative truth, it is possible to practice and become a buddha, so you still need to work hard. In other words, in conventional truth, you need to work hard on your practice, but in ultimate truth, there is nothing there for you to work at. Although it sounds a bit mysterious, if you have studied Madhyamaka before, you will think this view is as it should be, not contradictory.
Whenever emptiness and buddha-nature are mentioned in study and practice, we must refer to the two truths – they are the key to resolving these difficult questions and dispelling any confusion. Between "nothing" in ultimate truth and "being" in conventional truth, which one is right and which one is wrong?
Take drug abuse as an example. Drug addicts will see many strange and incredible sights while taking drugs. These scenes seem very real to them, so they are sometimes happy and sometimes frightened. However, if there is a person nearby who does not take drugs, this person will not be able to see these things at all. To him, these things naturally do not exist. Therefore, we cannot generalize whether the scenes seen by drug addicts are real or not. Before becoming a buddha, there will always be only relative right and wrong, but no absolute right and wrong.
Or for example, all sentient beings in the six realms of samsara see things on earth differently. Human beings see this place as the earth, which has existed for 4.5 billion years and which will evolve in various ways in the future; heavenly beings perceive this place to be as beautiful as heaven; the hell beings see the earth as a scene in hell. Which of these is correct? If you are a sentient being in hell, then hell is right and everything else is wrong; if you are a human being, then the earth is right. Until you become a buddha, there is no absolute right or wrong in anything. At the highest state of realization, the distinction between ultimate truth and conventional truth disappears; only then can we say this is the absolute truth.
There are various phenomena in the cycle of life and death that do not actually exist. What we see now is not the absolute truth. When we eliminate an illusion, we have one iota less of affliction; when we gradually eliminate all our defilements and illusions, we become a buddha. Therefore, existence or non-existence, the presence or absence of merit, etc. are all discussed from different levels of view and cannot be generalized. Only in the state of the buddha is there a final answer. However, the Buddha did not give us any answers – in fact, there are no answers in the state of the buddha. In other words, not having an answer is the ultimate and true answer.
In short, although nothing can be obtained from the perspective of ultimate truth, there is much to obtain in life from the perspective of conventional truth; the two are not contradictory. It is precisely because of our emphasis on “seeking” in the conventional realm that we can finally reach the ultimate realm of “non-seeking,” that is, we can arrive at non-seeking through seeking.
Although these concise teachings by Bodhidharma do not contain many words, they cover everything that needs to be said, including some doubtful points, which are explained very well. Many Buddhists who do not understand Chan have this question at the beginning: Chan places emphasis on non-attachment and letting go, so why do we still need to recite the buddha’s name and release lives? Did not Bodhidharma say that there is no merit in these things, so why do we still engage in these practices? I have met many people who study Chan Buddhism, including some well-known Chan masters abroad. They say that people who study Chan do not believe in cause and effect or rebirth, nor do they worship or pay homage to the buddhas in the shrines. Why is that? Because “buddhas do not pay homage to buddhas" – I am a buddha myself, how can I pay homage to myself! It seems they have made their point supported by scriptural teachings and logical reasoning, but it is precisely these teachings and logical reasoning that have led them astray. This is not only very dangerous, but also a huge misunderstanding of Chan!
The same problem is also evident in Dzogchen. This is not the fault of Dzogchen and Chan Buddhism, but the misunderstanding of those who study Dzogchen and Chan Buddhism. They are people who seem to understand but in fact do not understand, or who do not understand Chan but think they are practicing Chan. Apart from not realizing the state of Chan, they have moreover abandoned virtuous activities, such as chanting the buddha’s name and releasing lives, and ended up with nothing!
What does letting go mean? When you are truly enlightened, it is called letting go. But this does not mean that you should not do these things now. Thus, we say to those who think this way –“ultimately there is nothing to obtain, but to understand this, you must consult a good teacher."
You must strive hard. You must not only request the teachings, but also strive hard.
What is striving hard? I believe everyone is familiar with the story of Master Hui Ke who severed his arm in front of Bodhidharma in his relentless pursuit of the Dharma. This is a testament to his determination. There are many components to striving hard, such as completing the four preliminaries, the five basic practices, etc. It is not just asking the teachers to transmit the teachings. If understood in this way, do we become enlightened after the teachings are transmitted? No, we do not. So, what should we do? We must stay diligent, not by asking for more teachings (this may help improve our knowledge but it does little for enlightenment) but by perfecting the basic practices ourselves.This is the true meaning of striving hard.
Since "there is nothing to obtain," why do we still need to work so hard at our practice? Isn't this attachment, and does it not contradict the Chan teaching of "letting go"? As mentioned before, this is a misinterpretation of Chan. It is very clear here that there is nothing to gain in the end, but if you cannot comprehend this point, you must rely on a good teacher and strive hard in the process.
To realize the true nature of things. "To realize" is to be enlightened. Only after striving hard in this way can your mind realize the nature of all dharmas.
Life and death are important. Do not live your life in vain. There is no benefit in self-deception.
Life and death are important. For every being, the biggest issue is life and death. In the face of life and death, other things are not worth mentioning at all. Whether you believe in Buddhism or not, and whether you believe in reincarnation or not, everyone will have to face death and rebirth. This is the natural law of life; it does not depend on human will.
Although there are many important things and events in life, such as cars, houses, savings, children's education, relationships, and marriage, these are not as important as the issue of life and death. Steve Jobs wrote in his autobiography that when he encountered difficult situations, he would think of the impermanence of life and not see them as problems any more.We can all believe a person like Steve Jobs endured great pressure in life, but in the face of death, these things were simply insignificant.
Do not live your life in vain. Do not come up empty-handed.
If we fail in all other aspects of life but have an opportunity to learn Buddhism, we should be very grateful. Because human birth endowed with freedom and advantages is rare, and this opportunity is very precious. Everyone must cherish it.
In Tibetan Buddhism, one of the four preliminaries that is specifically practiced is precious human body. However, this treatise does not discuss it in a substantial way. Bodhidharma only mentioned "do not live your life in vain," not the practice itself.
There is no benefit in self-deception. It is useless to deceive yourself.
Many people think that everything will be fine in the future, so they muddle along without making any preparations – this is a kind of blind confidence, called superstition. Who can be certain that the future will be good? It is useless to deceive yourself and others. You must face reality and take precautions to be prepared.
Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many family members as the grains of sand in the Ganges, you see them when you open your eyes, but do you still see them when you close your eyes?
Even if you have mountains of jewels and as many family members as the grains of sand in the Ganges. Even if you have gold, silver, and jewels piled up like a mountain, and as many family members around you as the grains of sand in the Ganges River, you see them when you open your eyes, but do you still see them when you close your eyes? This means when death comes, do you still have anything to do with the things that people in this world particularly yearn for, like wealth, family, fame, and power? No, not at all.
What really matters then? Although we have changed our bodies and identities one after another in successive lifetimes, some things have always followed us: negative or evil deeds such as killing, stealing, adultery, and delusion; positive or good deeds such as listening, contemplating, and practicing the Dharma. These are closely related to us whether we open or close our eyes.
If you are blessed in this life, you might think that you are great and do not need to do anything – I am already very good now, why should I still learn Buddhism? Why should I go to the Western Paradise? If you have such thoughts, it means that you are very ignorant; this is called self-deception. Having a good day today does not mean it will be the same tomorrow; the future is even harder to predict. This is why “deceiving yourself is useless.”
You should know then that all compounded things are like a dream or illusion. If you do not find a teacher soon, you will live your life in vain.
You should know then that all compounded things. In Buddhism, all things that arise from causes and conditions are called "compounded phenomena." All compounded phenomena are unreliable. Whether it is wealth, family members, reputation, or status, these will all disappear when the causes and conditions are no longer present. For example, we are healthy today, but who knows what will happen tomorrow or next month? We are living well now, but what about next month or next year? We have no control over our health and life, let alone other things outside of us!
Are like a dream or illusion. All compounded phenomena are like a dream or illusion. Just like dreaming about being promoted or getting rich, everything in the dream disappears as soon as you wake up. Therefore, if you really want to get rich, do not overly accumulate external wealth, but cultivate inner wealth. Relatively speaking, this is more reliable.
If you do not find a teacher soon, you will live your life in vain. If you do not rush to find a good teacher, you will miss all the opportunities and let this life go to waste.
Although we cannot ignore some things in work and life, in general, even if we ignore them, they will not lead to serious consequences. But if we overlook the significance of life and death, the consequences can be very serious!
There are two components to human life – the spiritual and the material. Our survival depends on material things; we would never deny the value of material things, but they cannot solve all our problems. In addition to material goods, people also need spiritual wealth. It would be naive, immature, and extremely foolish to think that material things can solve all our problems in life and that nothing else is needed.
When material needs are not met, we feel pain; when spiritual needs are not met, we feel even more pain. Surely, everyone has experienced the suffering of spiritual emptiness, impatience, and stress. Let us not live this life in vain.
Bodhidharma made it very clear here that although nothing can be achieved in ultimate reality, effort is still needed in conventional reality! Therefore, if we come across one or two Chan sayings like "letting go" and "non-attachment," we should not confuse the two truths as one thing, and falsely claim that releasing lives, chanting the buddha's name, and other good practices are all attachments which we should forego. In fact, this statement itself goes against the teachings of the Chan masters and is a huge misunderstanding. It is closely related to our actual practice, and must be clearly understood by everyone.
Although you have buddha nature, you will never know it without the help of a teacher. It is extremely rare for one to attain enlightenment without a teacher.
Although you have buddha nature, you will never know it without the help of a teacher. Although buddha nature already exists in everyone's mind, without the teaching and guidance of good teachers, we will never know that there is a buddha in our mind. Therefore, we must rely on good teachers.
Taking refuge is one of five preliminary practices. This is not unique to Tibetan Buddhism, as all Buddhist sages say this.
It is extremely rare for one to attain enlightenment without a teacher. Is there such a person who can achieve enlightenment on his own without the help of a guru? Basically, there is none; and if there is, it is probably no more than one or two out of ten thousand people. Even among eminent monks of all ages, such self-taught people are very rare, let alone ordinary people!
If a person attains realization of the buddha due to the concomitance of karmic conditions, that person need not consult a teacher. He is born with an awareness that surpasses anything that can be taught.
If a person attains realization of the buddha due to the concomitance of karmic conditions. With an exemplary practice in the previous life and a ripening of causes and conditions in this life, a person can attain realization of the buddha, even without the help of a guru.
What are "karmic conditions"? It means listening, contemplating, and practicing the Dharma in a real and systematic way. If we are not sincere in our practice in this life, the necessary conditions will not conjoin in our next life. Therefore, it is extremely important to create these causes and conditions. Whether we can continue to practice in the next life depends on the practice we build in this life.
That person does not need to consult a teacher. This kind of person does not need a teacher.
He is born with an awareness. Such a person is already enlightened when he is born. He brings this realization with him from his previous life, rather than learning it in this life, so he is "born with an awareness."
How can a person be enlightened as soon as he is born? This comes from hearing, contemplating, and practicing the Dharma in the previous life. As mentioned before, when we are alive, we can see material things such as houses, cars, jewels, nice clothes, etc.; when we die, we do not see them anymore. But our current practice will accompany us in the next life, whether we are alive or dead. If the causes and conditions are exemplary, and they converge in the future, we may be able to achieve enlightenment without a guru.
That surpasses anything that can be taught. This awareness is superior to what ordinary people can learn in this life. For this kind of self-taught person, the wisdom accumulated over lifetimes is far greater than that of the average person who has but a few decades in a lifetime to study.
But unless you are so blessed, you must study hard and obtain realization through the teachings.
But unless you are so blessed, you must study hard. If you do not recognize your buddha nature, you must practice honestly, one step at a time. You must study hard. You cannot choose to learn or not learn at whim.
And obtain realization through the teachings. Why should we study diligently? To attain enlightenment, ordinary people like us need to rely on good teachers to guide and educate us.
Whether it is Indian Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, or Chinese Buddhism, there are essentially two methods of enlightenment in Mahayana Buddhism:
One kind does not require learning at all. The conditions for enlightenment are present at birth – just like the trust fund babies who are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, the difference being this inner wealth does not come from one’s parents, but from oneself in the previous life. Thus, by relying on a very simple method, even as simple as hearing a verse from a scripture, we can achieve enlightenment in this lifetime.
Master Hui Neng is a very typical example. He was illiterate and made a living by chopping firewood every day. Yet, it is precisely this uneducated and extremely ordinary person who, upon hearing the Diamond Sutra, experienced a feeling of incomparable shock and enlightenment. Others among highly educated intellectuals did not experience any feeling at all, no matter how many times they listened to it or whether it was recited by others or by themselves. Why are there such differences between people? The difference is in whether they were able to store any wisdom gained from their practice in the past.
The other kind does not have this innate awareness. Everything depends on one’s own effort in this life, which can also lead step by step to enlightenment. Although we do not have wealthy parents in this life, the wealth created in this life can be inherited in the next life; we have the same opportunity in the future to be a trust fund baby! In other words, even a person of ordinary capacity can achieve enlightenment through hard study and devout practice!
All of us are familiar with the story of Milarepa who relied on his master and studied hard. Although we cannot do what the Venerable One did, we can at least engender one ten-thousandth, one thousandth, or one percent of his effort. Why? We are not "born with awareness," so we need to study diligently under the guidance of good teachers!
Bodhidharma spoke mostly about the ultimate state of realization, and very little about everyday effort. But in this treatise, he repeatedly exhorted followers to live a useful life and to seize the opportunities that come along! Since he placed such emphasis on it, this is clearly a very important matter that we must keep in mind!
If a person understands the Dharma on his own, he naturally does not need to study with a teacher because he already knows. People who do not have this innate awareness and think they can obtain realization without study are deluded souls who cannot distinguish white from black. Falsely proclaiming the Buddha’s edict, they deride the Buddha and subvert the Dharma.
If a person understands the Dharma on his own, he naturally does not need to study with a teacher because he already knows. He is enlightened on his own.
People who do not have this innate awareness and think they can obtain realization without study are deluded souls who cannot distinguish white from black. "Deluded souls" refer to ordinary people; here "white" refers to ultimate truth, and "black" refers to conventional truth. Ordinary people are different from individuals who have strong foundation and superior capacities in their previous lives. If ordinary people do not learn, they basically cannot tell the difference between ultimate truth and conventional truth.
Falsely proclaiming the Buddha’s edict. "Buddha's edict" refers to the teachings of the Buddha. "Deluded people" are not enlightened and do not understand the true meaning of the teachings. They falsely claim they have already attained enlightenment and are proficient in the Dharma; spreading nonsense, they deceive themselves and others.
They deride the Buddha and subvert the Dharma. The result is to slander and misinterpret the Dharma. Therefore, if you have not learned it well and have not attained enlightenment, do not speak nonsense.
They preach as if they were bringing rain; theirs are the words of demons, not of buddhas. The teacher is the demon king, and the disciples are his entourage; deluded people who follow their command descend into the sea of life and death without realizing it.
They preach as if they were bringing rain. People who speak nonsense like this propagate the Dharma as freely as rainfall, but the content of what they say is wrong. For example, the Buddhist scriptures say that the nature of mind is the buddha and afflictions are wisdom. But these people say, "although the Buddha said that the nature of mind is the buddha, this is impossible," or "afflictions cannot be wisdom, I know this is not the original intention of the Buddha, the Buddha had other meanings."
There are people like that in the history of Buddhism who extrapolated the most profound concepts of the Buddhist scriptures in their own way, then misled others by giving them the wrong explanation.
Theirs are the words of demons, not of buddhas. No matter how pleasant the words are to the ear, they are a complete misunderstanding of the Buddhist scriptures; they are all the words of demons, not the teachings of Buddhism.
Do not misunderstand "demons" as devils. All actions, words, and matter that create obstacles to liberation and to our practice are called demons.
The teacher is the demon king, and the disciples are his entourage. The "good teacher" in this case is the demon king, and the disciples his entourage.
Deluded people who follow their command descend into the sea of life and death without realizing it. A wise person will not follow such an evil master, but an unwise person will find himself under his control. These people who do not know the consequences of their action sink into the misery of rebirth without realizing it. Just like some people who believe in supernatural powers, these followers are numerous and very stubborn. Even if the Buddha himself told them that this was wrong, they would not be able to make the correction right away.
But people who do not see their nature falsely claim to be buddhas; they are great transgressors who deceive sentient beings into entering the realm of demons.
But people who do not see their nature falsely claim to be buddhas. These people who have not attained enlightenment falsely claim to be buddhas.
They are great transgressors. People like that are great sinners. Why? Because they deliberately misinterpret the Dharma, and in particular change the most profound essence of Buddhism into their own set of rhetoric. This is called discrediting the dharmakaya of the buddha–such a transgression is inconceivable.
Other transgressions such as destroying a temple, a clay buddha statue, or a sutra are also severe, but these have little to do with the dharmakaya, so they are not as serious as the former.
Who deceive sentient beings into entering the realm of demons. They deceive all sentient beings and lead them into the world of demons.
Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the twelve divisions of the scriptures is nothing more than the words of demons; the followers of demons are not disciples of Buddhism. If they cannot distinguish white from black, how can they avert life and death?
Unless they see their nature, their preaching of the twelve divisions of the scriptures is nothing more than the words of demons. If they are not enlightened and deliberately misinterpret the most profound content of the sutras, then no matter how well they do or speak on the surface, a grave mistake has already been made. They speak the words of demons.
The followers of demons are not disciples of Buddhism. The people who follow them are the entourage of demons, not disciples of Buddhism.
If they cannot distinguish white from black, how can they avert life and death? If they cannot even distinguish between the ultimate truth and the conventional truth, how can they escape from life and death?
It is thus essential to find a qualified teacher. If you follow the wrong person, the slightest mistake can lead to a huge error and you will never be able to look back! In the search for a guru, Tibetan Buddhism specifically mentions how to observe the guru before becoming a disciple.This is very important.
Not just in Tibetan Buddhism, Bodhidharma was also very clear on this point. He said a "good teacher" like that is the Devil, the followers are his entourage, they are all demons! Such harsh words are enough to show that the consequences are extremely serious.
In short, if you cannot achieve enlightenment by yourself, you must rely on a good teacher, but you must carefully observe this teacher. You cannot be a follower casually, otherwise the consequences will be extremely serious. Tantra has very strict requirements in terms of the standards of the guru and the conduct of disciples. Although there are few words in this text, the content is completely consistent with the outer and inner preliminaries, except that the latter elaborates more fully on the topic.