Echoing Master Ou Yi’s critique: Without contemplation, faith becomes lip service. 🗣️🧘♂️
Superficial Understanding Without Contemplation 🎭📖
Master Ou Yi stated in The Essential Teachings of Mount Lingfeng（《靈峰宗論》）:
“One has never truly observed—never deeply contemplated—the sufferings（苦）, emptiness（空）, and impermanence（无常） of the Three Realms.”
This critique speaks directly to the challenge of cultivating true faith in Buddhism. Because of this lack of true contemplation, all such talk remains superficial—mere words. It’s like children acting in a play. The understanding does not truly arise from within the heart.
Even someone who has studied Buddhism for one or two years may know doctrines such as impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. But it’s not just beginners—even some who have studied Buddhism for decades, or even their entire lives, may not have truly internalized these teachings.
Why Lifelong Study May Not Transform Afflictions 📚💭
Just observe some Dharma friends around us. Why is it that even after studying Buddhism for decades, their habitual tendencies and faults remain unchanged? Those around them can clearly see it, but they themselves remain unaware. Their afflictions are heavy. Why is that?
Though they understand much about Buddhist doctrines, and may speak fluently on many teachings—having studied for decades—when it comes to the most basic truths such as death, impermanence, suffering, emptiness, the pain of samsara, and the brevity of human life, they merely play with these concepts verbally.
There is no genuine internal realization.
The Crucial Moment: Fame, Fortune, and False Faith 💰🧠
Master Ou Yi continued in The Essential Teachings of Mount Lingfeng:
“At the crucial moment, when faced with fame and gain, one ultimately cannot resist them.”
When trials arise, they forsake the Dharma and choose fame and fortune instead—this is the natural outcome. Because for them, Buddhism is only an accumulation of knowledge.
They have never truly and sincerely engaged in contemplation, such as viewing themselves as already dead, or meditating deeply on impermanence. They have never invested genuine effort in these foundational practices.
This is just like children putting on a performance. In reality, there has been no change in their stream of consciousness.
Pride and Danger Among Long-Time Practitioners 🧍♂️😤⚠️
Because they have studied Buddhism for decades, they instead develop arrogance in front of other practitioners. They think, “None of you understand as much as I do. None of you are as proficient in the Dharma as I am.”
Especially if such a person is a Dharma speaker who does not practice contemplation, their arrogance becomes even greater. They consider themselves to be the most proficient in the Buddha’s teachings and look down on everyone else, thinking that only they truly understand.
Inwardly, their afflictions have not been subdued in the slightest.
Practicing Buddhism in this way is extremely dangerous. We can say that such a person is a false practitioner of Buddhism; they have not truly believed in the Buddha.
Real Faith is Revealed in Critical Tests 🔥🧭
True belief in the Buddha is revealed at the critical moment—when fame and fortune present themselves, when one must make choices based on karma and causality. If one fails to choose in accordance with the Dharma, then we can only say they do not truly believe in karma and its effects, nor do they truly believe in the Buddha.
In reality, they are false practitioners of Buddhism.
The Foundation of True Faith in Buddhism 🌱🧘♀️🔁
Therefore, one must earnestly invest effort in the most fundamental teachings of the Dharma: death, impermanence, the suffering of samsara, and the infallibility of karmic cause and effect.
To truly believe in the Buddha, to truly practice Buddhism, and even more so to truly believe in the Pure Land teachings—is not easy.
First, you must deeply believe in karma. You must earnestly contemplate the suffering of samsara, the certainty of death, and the impermanence of life. Your heart must gain true realization.
Otherwise, your practice is merely parroted speech, verbal samadhi, and self-deception—such practice yields no true benefit.
This principle may seem simple, but never assume it’s something beneath you—“I’ve been learning Buddhism for two days and already know this.” In reality, merely knowing is useless. The Dharma is not worldly knowledge.
It must arise in your heart, in true proportion—only then can it be called genuine Dharma. ✨
🌟 Reflection
Through the teachings of Master Yin Guang and the critiques of Master Ou Yi, we clearly see that true faith in Buddhism must be rooted in sincere death contemplation in Nianfo, not just surface-level knowledge. Without confronting impermanence, fame, and karmic trials, even long-time practitioners may remain deluded. Only with deep contemplation can we unlock genuine transformation.
📖 This concludes Part 2 of our series on Master Yin Guang’s Nianfo teachings:
- Part 2A: The Importance of Death Contemplation in Nianfo Practice
- Part 2B: The Danger of False Faith and the Power of a Critical Illness
- Part 2C: True Practice Begins With Death, Impermanence, and Karma
🙏 Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Yin Guang Nianfo Teachings series, where we explore the path to true liberation through Pure Land faith, vows, and practice.
Excerpted from: Lecture on the Contemplative Practice of Nianfo by Venerable Master Renchan