The Spiritual Earthquake: When the Truth Returns to Its Roots

 THE SPIRITUAL EARTHQUAKE: WHEN THE TRUTH RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS

Have you ever asked yourself this:

Why has the Buddha—Gotama Buddha, a real human being of flesh and blood, one of humanity's greatest teachers—been transformed, in the eyes of many Vietnamese Buddhists, into a supernatural deity who grants blessings and sends misfortune?

Why do so many people long for a distant "Western Pure Land," while overlooking the truth unfolding right before their own eyes?

Let us embark on a journey of careful examination, separating pure gold (the Early Buddhist Teaching) from mixed alloy (later additions and interpretations).

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY — WHERE THE PĀLI CANON DEMONSTRATES THE POWER OF DIRECT EXPERIENCE

Why have Western countries, neuroscientists, and leading psychologists turned to Early Buddhist meditation (Vipassanā / Mindfulness) instead of mantra recitation or devotional chanting?

1. Bringing Dhamma into Schools: Educating the Mind, Not Lulling the Heart

In countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, Theravāda Buddhism is not taught as something merely to believe. It is taught as something to practice.

The curriculum:

Children are not taught:

"Bow 500 times and the Buddha will grant you wisdom."

Instead, they are taught the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (The Four Foundations of Mindfulness). They learn how to observe the breath to calm anger, and how to observe each step while walking to cultivate concentration and awareness.

The result:

This is behavioral science in practice.

A child who develops mindfulness naturally learns to regulate ethical conduct (Sīla) without relying on fear of supernatural punishment.

Why has this approach not become the educational model in many later Buddhist traditions?

How could a modern school curriculum teach students:

"Recite the name of a Buddha in another world to receive tenfold merit."

Such claims cannot be objectively verified through direct experience, are difficult to reconcile with empirical education, and do not reflect the principle of personal verification emphasized in the Early Buddhist teachings. Education is built upon investigation and understanding, not upon promises that cannot be tested through one's own practice.

2. Prison Rehabilitation: The Power of Facing Oneself

In prisons in India (such as Tihar Prison) and in Thailand, Vipassanā meditation has been introduced as part of rehabilitation programs for inmates.

The core principle:

Prisoners sit quietly, observing physical pain, watching anger arise and pass away within the mind.

They are required to face themselves directly, seeing the causes and consequences of their own actions.

This is transformation at its very root.

What about ritual-based approaches?

Can elaborate ceremonies, offerings dedicated to the deceased, or rituals performed on behalf of others fundamentally transform the violent tendencies within a criminal's own mind?

Or might such practices lead some people to believe that unwholesome actions can be erased simply through performing religious rituals, without the inner work of ethical conduct, mental cultivation, and wisdom?

According to the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, liberation and genuine transformation arise through the cultivation of Sīla (virtue), Samādhi (concentration), and Paññā (wisdom), developed through one's own direct practice and understanding.

CULTURAL SHOCK — OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE WORLD

If you believe that Buddhism must include Amitābha Buddha, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, or Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, then I challenge you to visit Theravāda Buddhist countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, or Myanmar.

1. The Absence of Later Religious Figures

You may be surprised.

As you travel through their magnificent golden temples, you will not find statues or devotional traditions centered on Amitābha Buddha (Amitābha).

You will not find Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Avalokiteśvara).

You will not find the Chinese-style Eighteen Arhats, nor the Ten Kings of the Underworld.

Why?

Because in the Pāli Canon—the earliest complete collection of scriptures preserving the teachings of Gotama Buddha—these figures do not appear. They belong to later religious and literary traditions that developed through historical and cultural interactions, including influences from later Buddhist traditions and other religious cultures.

2. The Buddha Is a Teacher, Not a Deity

In Theravāda Buddhist countries, the central object of veneration is Gotama Buddha.

People pay homage to Him as the Fully Awakened Teacher who discovered and revealed the Noble Path—not as a supernatural being who grants wealth, worldly success, or children in response to prayers.

The reverence found there is rooted in gratitude, wisdom, and respect for His teaching, rather than in expectations of miraculous intervention.

THE SANGHA — A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

By observing monastic life, one can clearly see the difference between preserving the original monastic discipline and performing religious functions that developed in later traditions.

Theravāda Monastics

Early each morning, they go on piṇḍapāta (alms round), carrying only their alms bowls.

Traditionally, they eat from what is freely offered, without choosing foods according to personal preference. In accordance with the Vinaya, they may accept meat that meets the conditions of the threefold purity (tikoṭiparisuddha maṃsa). They do not cook for themselves, do not accumulate wealth, and do not store money for personal use.

Their lives are centered on simplicity, meditation, study, and practice.

They undertake the 227 rules of the Bhikkhu Vinaya with great care.

Their primary responsibilities are to preserve the Dhamma, teach the Dhamma, and cultivate meditation.

Many Monastics in Later Buddhist Traditions Today

In many places today, large temples and elaborate religious ceremonies have become prominent features of religious life.

Activities such as rituals for protection, ceremonies for blessings, memorial services for the deceased, and other devotional rites are often organized, sometimes involving financial offerings from participants.

As a result, in some communities Buddhism may come to be viewed primarily as a provider of religious services rather than as a path of liberation.

This raises an important question:

During His lifetime, did the Buddha spend His days performing rituals to grant worldly blessings to donors?

Or did He walk on alms round, teach the Four Noble Truths, and show the path leading to the ending of suffering?

According to the Early Buddhist scriptures preserved in the Pāli Canon, the Buddha's mission was to teach Dukkha, its origin, its cessation, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to liberation.

WHY HAS THERAVĀDA BUDDHISM REMAINED A MINORITY TRADITION IN VIETNAM?

1. History and Geography

For nearly a thousand years, Vietnam was under Chinese rule. During that long period, Chinese culture—including the integration of Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhist traditions—became deeply rooted in Vietnamese society.

As a result, Mahāyāna Buddhism spread into Vietnam from China, developing alongside local folk beliefs and traditional religious practices. This combination made devotional forms of religion more accessible and appealing to many ordinary people.

2. The Influence of Religious Institutions

Looking at the history of Buddhism in modern Vietnam, many senior leaders of the country's Buddhist institutions have come from the Northern Buddhist (Mahāyāna) tradition.

People naturally tend to preserve and transmit the teachings in which they were trained.

Someone who has devoted an entire lifetime to a particular religious tradition will naturally continue to teach and uphold that tradition, rather than promoting another approach that differs in important doctrinal respects.

As a result, educational resources, public communication, and mainstream religious activities have often focused primarily on Mahāyāna Buddhism.

Meanwhile, Theravāda Buddhism, despite preserving the earliest surviving body of Buddhist scriptures in the Pāli Canon, has often been viewed as a smaller tradition. It has also frequently been labeled "Hīnayāna" ("Lesser Vehicle"), a term that Theravāda Buddhists themselves do not accept and which many modern scholars consider inappropriate and misleading.

3. Why the Original Teaching Is Difficult to Accept

The Early Buddhist teaching emphasizes personal responsibility:

"Each person inherits the results of his or her own kamma."

No one can purify another person's mind or eliminate another person's unwholesome kamma.

Many later devotional traditions, however, place much greater emphasis on the saving power or compassionate assistance of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Between a path that demands personal effort and continuous practice, and a path that emphasizes devotional faith, many people naturally find the latter more attractive.

BUDDHISM IS NOT MERELY A RELIGION

In its earliest form, Buddhism is a way of living and a disciplined investigation of the human mind.

Do not accept something simply because I say it.

Do not accept it merely because someone wears impressive monastic robes.

Instead, examine the Pāli Canon—the earliest preserved record of the Buddha's teachings—and investigate the Dhamma for yourself through study, reflection, and practice.

Have the courage to let go of beliefs that have been accepted without personal verification.

Return to the breath.

Return to present-moment awareness.

There you will not find liberation through imagination, but you can cultivate genuine peace through your own understanding, ethical conduct, meditation, and wisdom.

That is the dignity of the path discovered by the Buddha.

That is the path of those who fearlessly proclaim the Dhamma with wisdom, like the lion's roar described in the Early Buddhist texts.

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OFFERING OR ATTEMPTING TO BARGAIN WITH THE DIVINE?

In the Pāli Canon, the Buddha never instructed people to place money into the hands of Buddha statues. Nor did He ever teach that "the more money you offer, the greater your merit."

1. THE TRUE PURPOSE OF GIVING (DĀNA) IN THE PĀLI CANON: LETTING GO, NOT MAKING AN INVESTMENT

In Early Buddhism, the highest purpose of dāna (generosity) is to weaken attachment and abandon greed.

The Recipient (the Saṅgha)

The monastic community traditionally receives only the Four Requisites:

Robes
Food
Medicine
Shelter

These are accepted solely to support the monastic life and the practice of the Dhamma.

The Vinaya Piṭaka clearly establishes that bhikkhus are not permitted to own or accumulate gold, silver, or money.

The Giver (the Lay Follower)

Offering is a practice of training one's own mind to become less attached to material possessions.

A meal is offered to support those devoted to the holy life, in the hope that they will preserve, practice, and teach the Dhamma for the benefit of many.

This is a relationship of mutual support:

The lay community supports the material needs of the Saṅgha; the Saṅgha supports the spiritual welfare of the lay community.

It is a relationship founded upon generosity, gratitude, and the Dhamma.

What do we often see today?

Many people approach temples with the mindset of an investor.

"I offer this donation. May the Buddha help me win a major business contract."

"I donate a golden bell. May my children achieve success and obtain high positions."

This is no longer generosity motivated by letting go.

It is an attempt to exchange material offerings for desired worldly results.

Can the law of kamma be altered simply by making an offering?

According to the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, the answer is no.

Kamma produces results according to causes and conditions—not according to bargaining, negotiation, or material gifts.

The Buddha renounced a royal throne, wealth, and luxury to live the life of a homeless mendicant in search of liberation.

It is therefore difficult to reconcile the image of such a Teacher with the idea that He could be persuaded by material offerings to grant worldly favors or overturn the natural law of cause and effect.

The practice of dāna is meant to transform the giver's own mind—not to purchase blessings, change kamma through payment, or seek favors from the Buddha.

2. THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CULTURE OF OFFERINGS

Let us make a practical comparison.

In Theravāda Buddhist Countries (Thailand, Laos, Myanmar)

Each morning, monks go on piṇḍapāta (the alms round).

Lay people respectfully place rice, fruit, or other food into the alms bowl.

The monk receives the offering, gives a blessing by sharing words of Dhamma or well-wishes according to local custom, and then continues on his way.

Traditionally, the offering consists of the Four Requisites needed to sustain the monastic life. Once the meal has been eaten, it is finished. The following day, the monk again depends upon the generosity of the lay community.

This reflects the ideal of a simple life based on dependence upon generosity rather than the accumulation of possessions.

In Some Contemporary Buddhist Settings

In some places today, donation boxes are found throughout temple grounds. In certain locations, electronic payment systems and QR-code donations are also available.

Large amounts of money may be donated to temples.

How those funds are used varies from one temple and community to another.

Some are used to build large Buddha statues.

Some are used to construct grand temple complexes.

Some are used to support charitable activities, education, or the maintenance of monasteries.

By contrast, the Pāli Canon describes the ideal dwelling for a bhikkhu as one that is simply sufficient to provide shelter from heat, cold, rain, insects, and other natural conditions while supporting meditation and the holy life.

The Buddha attained Awakening while practicing beneath a tree.

His liberation did not depend upon magnificent buildings or material splendor.

From the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings, external grandeur is not the measure of the Dhamma. The true measure is whether a place supports ethical conduct (Sīla), concentration (Samādhi), and wisdom (Paññā).

3. ACCORDING TO THE PĀLI CANON, WHAT MAKES AN OFFERING MERITORIOUS?

Many people believe:

"Offering to a famous abbot brings greater merit."

In the Dakkhiṇāvibhaṅga Sutta (The Exposition of Offerings), however, the Buddha analyzes the subject in a much more careful and nuanced way.

The merit of an offering depends upon two principal factors:

The intention of the giver. Is the mind joyful, generous, and free from expectation of reward?
The qualities of the recipient. Is the recipient virtuous? Are they sincerely living according to the Dhamma?

If someone knowingly supports conduct that violates the monastic discipline—for example, by encouraging attachment to luxury, indulgence, or behavior contrary to the Vinaya—that support does not contribute to the preservation of the Buddha's teaching.

Instead, it may encourage further unwholesome actions for both the giver and the recipient.

For this reason, the Early Buddhist texts repeatedly encourage lay followers to give with wisdom as well as with generosity.

The Buddha did not ask His disciples to follow teachers blindly.

In the Kālāma Sutta, He encouraged careful examination rather than unquestioning acceptance.

He advised people not to accept a teaching merely because of tradition, reputation, hearsay, scripture, or the status of the teacher, but to examine whether it leads to wholesome qualities, to the abandoning of greed, hatred, and delusion, and to the welfare and happiness of oneself and others.

Supporting those who genuinely practice and preserve the Dhamma helps sustain the Buddha's Dispensation.

Supporting conduct that departs from the Dhamma does not serve that purpose.

The Pāli Canon therefore encourages generosity guided by wisdom, rather than by popularity or blind devotion.

4. THE TRAGEDY OF SEEKING MERIT FOR WORLDLY REWARDS

Why do I say that some popular religious interpretations have had limited success in promoting practical moral education?

Because they can place overwhelming emphasis on external saving powers.

Some teach that building a stupa or offering a single flower guarantees immense heavenly rewards across countless lifetimes.

Such beliefs may lead people to pursue worldly merit—merit aimed at pleasant future rebirths or worldly blessings—while neglecting the very heart of the Buddha's teaching: wisdom (Paññā).

The consequence can be a way of thinking in which a person lives dishonestly during daily life—through fraud, corruption, or exploitation—and then believes that generous donations or religious rituals can erase the moral consequences of those actions.

The Pāli Canon presents a very different message.

No amount of prayer, wealth, or material offering can cancel the results of unwholesome kamma once its supporting conditions are present.

The law of kamma operates according to causes and conditions, not according to bargaining or payment.

This principle encourages personal responsibility.

It reminds us that wholesome actions bring wholesome results, while unwholesome actions bring painful results unless one transforms oneself through ethical conduct, mental cultivation, and wisdom.

Such an understanding encourages people to refrain from wrongdoing, not because of fear of divine punishment, but because they understand the natural law of cause and effect.

BE A WISE GIVER

Dear friends,

Perhaps it is time to let go of the idea that generosity is a transaction with supernatural powers.

If you wish to make offerings, support those who sincerely live according to the Dhamma—regardless of tradition—those who uphold ethical conduct, cultivate meditation, preserve the teachings, or dedicate themselves to compassionate service for the benefit of others.

Offer food, robes, medicine, shelter, or other appropriate support so that they may continue their noble practice.

Generosity guided by wisdom strengthens both the giver and the recipient.

The Buddha never taught that awakening could be purchased with money.

Nor did He teach that liberation could be obtained through material offerings alone.

He taught a path of generosity (Dāna), virtue (Sīla), concentration (Samādhi), and wisdom (Paññā).

Let wisdom be your guide.

Do not allow fear or greed to direct your spiritual life.

The Buddha is the Fully Awakened Teacher who revealed the path to liberation.

He does not dispense favors in exchange for offerings, nor does He alter the law of kamma.

If these truths encourage you to examine your own understanding more deeply, then they have already served the purpose intended by the Dhamma.

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PRACTICE OR SPIRITUAL PERFORMANCE? — WHEN A PAINKILLER IS MISTAKEN FOR A CURE

1. CHANTING: TEMPORARY RELIEF FOR THE MIND

Consider many contemporary Buddhist devotional gatherings.

The central activity is often group chanting. Participants gather together, wear ceremonial robes, and recite scriptures—frequently in Classical Chinese pronunciation—without fully understanding the meaning of what they are reciting.

The Mechanism

Steady chanting, together with the rhythmic sound of bells and wooden fish drums, can calm the mind and temporarily reduce stress and anxiety.

For many people, this brings a genuine sense of peace and emotional comfort.

The Reality

From the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings, however, temporary calm alone is not the final goal.

Mental tranquility (Samatha) is an important and valuable practice, but by itself it does not necessarily uproot greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha).

It is like taking a painkiller.

The pain may temporarily subside, but the underlying illness still requires treatment.

The Consequence

If the underlying causes of anger, craving, and attachment remain unchanged, they can arise again when one returns to ordinary life.

Someone may leave the temple feeling peaceful, only to become angry again when confronted with conflict at home or at work.

Why?

Because the roots of suffering have not yet been fully understood and abandoned.

Temporary suppression is not the same as liberation.

2. EARLY BUDDHIST VIPASSANĀ: A DIRECT EXAMINATION OF THE MIND

Now consider the meditation tradition preserved in the Pāli Canon.

Rather than emphasizing devotional recitation, it places great importance on Vipassanā—the cultivation of insight.

This is not simply sitting quietly in search of pleasant feelings.

It is a direct investigation into one's own experience.

The Practice

The meditator carefully observes bodily pain.

They observe anger as it arises.

They observe desire as it appears.

Instead of trying to force these experiences away, they examine them carefully.

They begin to understand:

"This anger has arisen."

"It changes the body."

"It affects the mind."

"It does not remain."

"It passes away."

The Reality

As insight deepens, the practitioner sees that every feeling, perception, thought, and emotion is impermanent (anicca), conditioned, and not worthy of being regarded as a permanent self.

Instead of saying,

"I am angry,"

one begins to understand,

"Anger has arisen due to conditions, and it will cease when those conditions disappear."

This shift in understanding weakens attachment and identification with mental states.

The Result

As wisdom (Paññā) develops, the roots of unwholesome reactions gradually weaken.

When difficult situations arise again, the practitioner is less likely to react impulsively because they understand how the mind functions.

This is transformation at its source.

It is one reason why mindfulness and insight meditation derived from the Early Buddhist tradition have attracted the interest of psychologists, neuroscientists, and researchers around the world.

Their value lies not in supernatural claims, but in systematic observation of the mind through direct experience.

3. THE BELIEF IN EXTERNAL POWER AND SACRED FORMULAS

In some later Buddhist traditions—particularly certain esoteric and devotional schools—people are encouraged to believe that sacred formulas (mantras) or the recitation of particular names possess extraordinary protective or salvific power.

Examples often include ideas such as:

"Recite this mantra to avert misfortune."

"Wear this blessed cord for protection."

The Early Buddhist scriptures preserved in the Pāli Canon present a different emphasis.

In the Vinaya Piṭaka, monks are prohibited from earning a livelihood through practices such as fortune-telling, divination, astrology, magical rites, charms, or similar occult practices. These are regarded as wrong livelihood for monastics.

Instead, the Buddha repeatedly directed attention to the true causes of suffering.

He taught that the greatest dangers are not external spirits or unseen forces, but the fires of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha) burning within the mind.

No mantra can erase the results of intentional unwholesome kamma.

If someone commits a grave wrongdoing, merely repeating sacred words cannot prevent the natural results of that kamma from ripening when the appropriate conditions arise.

According to the Early Buddhist teaching, liberation depends upon ethical conduct (Sīla), meditation (Samādhi), and wisdom (Paññā)—not upon magical formulas or supernatural protection.

The Dhamma encourages people to cultivate inner strength rather than dependence upon external powers.

4. THE LANGUAGE BARRIER — WHY SHOULD THE DHAMMA BE UNDERSTOOD?

One striking feature of many Buddhist communities is that scriptures are often recited in liturgical languages that many participants do not understand.

This raises an important question:

Should the Buddha's teaching merely be recited, or should it also be understood?

The Theravāda tradition has long emphasized translation and explanation of the Pāli Canon into the languages spoken by ordinary people.

In Vietnam, for example, the Vietnamese translation by Venerable Thích Minh Châu has enabled countless readers to study the Buddha's teachings directly in clear and accessible language.

This reflects an important principle found in the Early Buddhist tradition.

The historical Buddha taught people in the language they understood.

He explained profound truths using familiar examples drawn from everyday life so that farmers, merchants, craftsmen, rulers, and ordinary villagers could all comprehend the Dhamma.

The purpose of the teaching was never to create mystery.

Its purpose was understanding.

The value of recitation is therefore greatest when it is accompanied by comprehension, reflection, and practice.

5. THE ULTIMATE GOAL: A HEAVEN OF ENJOYMENT OR THE PEACE OF NIBBĀNA?

Many later devotional traditions emphasize rebirth in a heavenly realm or a Pure Land described as a place of extraordinary beauty, abundance, and happiness.

From the perspective of the Early Buddhist teachings, however, even the highest heavenly rebirth remains within saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

Pleasant rebirth is still impermanent.

It is not the final goal.

The goal taught in the Pāli Canon is Nibbāna.

Nibbāna is not a place to which one travels.

It is the complete cessation of greed, hatred, and delusion.

It is the extinguishing of the fires of craving.

It is the peace that arises when the mind no longer clings to anything whatsoever.

For many people, this teaching can be difficult to accept.

The ordinary mind naturally seeks permanence, possession, security, and continued existence.

The Buddha pointed toward something deeper:

Freedom from attachment itself.

This is why realization of anattā (non-self) stands at the heart of the Early Buddhist path.

The highest liberation is not the acquisition of a more splendid existence, but the ending of the causes that perpetuate suffering and rebirth.

That is the profound vision of Nibbāna preserved in the Pāli Canon.

BE A LAMP UNTO YOURSELF

Dear friend,

As I write these words, I know they may challenge beliefs that many people hold deeply. Yet a bitter medicine is often the one that heals.

Before His Final Nibbāna, Gotama Buddha left a profound instruction recorded in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta:

"Dwell with yourselves as an island, with yourselves as your refuge, with no other refuge. Dwell with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as your refuge, with no other refuge."
(Attadīpā viharatha, attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā; dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā.)

He did not say:

"After I am gone, build altars and worship Me."

Instead, He entrusted humanity with the torch of the Dhamma.

Our task is to carry that torch and shine its light upon our own minds, removing the defilements that bind us to suffering.

Do not search for the Buddha in monuments of stone or concrete.
Do not search for the Buddha in lofty philosophical theories that are never put into practice.
Do not search for the Buddha in imagined realms while neglecting the present moment.

Seek the Buddha in your own awakening, within every mindful breath and every conscious step.

When anger arises, and you clearly know, "Anger has arisen," and you do not act upon it—that is the Dhamma at work.

When you see wealth that is not yours and greed does not arise—that is the Dhamma at work.

This is the true splendor of wisdom born from direct experience.

It is something that no worldly authority, no supernatural power, and no superstition can bestow upon you—or take away from you.

The path is often lonely.

Yet according to the Early Buddhist teachings preserved in the Pāli Canon, it is the path that leads beyond ignorance, beyond suffering, and toward the realization of Nibbāna.

— True Dhamma