(By various Dharma protectors)
We should respect all beings,
even helpful humans, gods and ghosts.
However, Buddhists only take refuge
in the perfect Buddhas, Dharma and Aryasangha.
An interestingly phrased question arose recently – ‘Why do
mediums not get any Buddha to answer their devotees’ questions?’
Before there is further confusion, we should be clear that
the use of mediums is not a Buddhist
practice. Instead, for Chinese culture, it is part of folk
religion. There are naturally irreconcilable aspects of different
religions, which is why they are different in the first place and
remain so. In this sense, even if a medium of any religion claims
to be able to ‘channel’ a Buddha or Bodhisattva through him or her,
this is entirely frowned upon by all orthodox Buddhists with right
understanding. The only exception is the traditional but very
exclusive use of a few trusted oracles in Tibetan Buddhism
involving time-tested and dedicated Dharma protector deities (who
are not Buddhas or Bodhisattvas) for very special matters.
Even if there are some who claim
advice from some mediums believed to represent Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas to be effective, Buddhists should never consult their
services. There are two kinds of ‘mediums’ – the false ones
and the genuine ones. As it is difficult to discern one from the
other, one might be paying (or contributing ‘donations’) while
being tricked. For false mediums, there are again two kinds. The
first are the downright fakes, who consciously put on theatrical
acts to fool devotees to part with their money. The second are
somewhat but not total fakes, who subconsciously autosuggest
themselves, often also through peer pressure of those who believe
they are special, to have the ability to call upon ‘higher beings’.
Such ‘mediums’ are still false, even if they have no intention to
deceive, and do wish to help others.
Despite power of the
autosuggestable mind, that can even express seemingly superhuman
feats of endurance, there are still obvious physical and spiritual
limits. If a medium, say, is supposedly possessed by an
‘animal-god’, such as a ‘monkey’, why is he or she not able to
climb and swing from trees, somersaulting like a real monkey?
Unless… the medium was not really possessed by such a being, while
being unable to fully autosuggest oneself to believe such feats can
be done. Even if capable of some acrobatics, there is the puzzle of
how a character from a fictitious novel can assist real people with
real problems. If the Monkey King in ‘Journey to the West’ (which
is not a proper Dharma text) was written to have learnt the Dharma,
this begs the question of why, if he is real, his ‘mediums’ do not
preach it directly, which would surely lead to full house classes
attended by thousands.
Even if a medium is genuine, he or she will not be able to
‘summon’ the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – as the enlightened ones
never taught that they are summonable through any medium. In fact,
in the Surangama Sutra (楞严经),
Sakyamuni Buddha, our fundamental teacher, clearly instructed
Bodhisattvas and Arhats who manifest in various manners in our
world to aid us to never ever reveal their true identities while
alive, at most disclosing who they are just before (or
after) departure. While this might sound deceptive, the purpose of
this is exactly the opposite – for preventing legitimisation
of self-proclaimed identities for deception by anyone. Imagine if
the Buddha taught instead, that all Bodhisattvas and Arhats should
announce who they are to the whole wide world. Not that there are
not already many, there would be even more with bold false
claims.
Therefore, anyone who puts up an actual or virtual signboard
(e.g. biodata, namecards, websites, posters, tickets, books,
magazines) claiming oneself to be a Buddha, Bodhisattva or Arhat is
directly not a true Buddhist, much less a Buddhist teacher or
spokesperson for any of the enlightened, who are explicitly
forbidden to claim any enlightened identity in our era. As the
Buddha gravely put it, ‘Thus as I
have said, is named the Buddhas’ speech [teachings]. Not thus as
said, is Papiyan’s [Mara: the evil one] speech.’ (‘如我所说，名为佛说。不如此说,
即波旬说。’) Those who make audacious claims and remain in this
world are out to gather fame and fortune. Such worldly ambitions
straightaway render them spiritually impure. In some cases, false
teachers have been influenced or possessed by Mara (or his minions)
personally, to confuse the masses, and distract them from the true
Dharma.
Genuine mediums, at most, can only ‘channel’ gods and ghosts.
Even the duo can be hard to differentiate as there are some ghosts
(or wandering spirits) who like to possess mediums to relay
messages, while impersonating others. Helpful to some extent as
they might be at times, and playful at other times, their advice is
not ultimate as they are not enlightened – which is why they are
ghosts. Even if a god possesses a medium, the messages conveyed are
still imperfect as he or she is not a fully enlightened ‘Teacher of
humans and gods’, a title reserved for Buddhas. Believability in
mediums arises when they seem to know past events and current
situations. This is simply because gods and ghosts (and some humans) can read the
thoughts of their devotees about their past and present to limited
extents, so as to give seemingly ‘relevant’ answers, that do not
guarantee accurate forecast of the future.
Mediums are also surely not messengers of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas as they are usually consulted only by non-Buddhists or
confused Buddhists lacking in understanding. As such, the queries
presented to them are usually mundane in nature, while they are
never asked profound Dharma enquiries. Thus, these mediums are
never ‘tested’ on their authenticity as ‘enlightened’
spokespersons. Even if not asked, they ought to speak more in
congruence with actual Buddhist teachings, using more direct
references from the Buddha’s teachings to further interest in the
Dharma. For instance, if a medium
claims to be able to ‘summon’ Guanyin Bodhisattva, he or she should
be able to expound on her teachings, such as the Heart Sutra, with
incomparable clarity, delivering detailed sermons often,
instead of merely advising on worldly woes.
Mediums of the like above are also never dedicated students of
the Dharma, for if they are, they would have come across the
Surangama Sutra teaching, which admonishes assumption of sacred
identities for ‘branding’ their ‘spiritual’ consultations. Some
might imagine that since the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have great
compassion, they should also manifest through mediums. Well,
the enlightened will never go against
the unequivocally stated Surangama teaching, as this would confuse
us. Even if they really do help through mediums, they will
never say they are the enlightened, which would counter that
teaching. The Buddha’s warning against seeking (and being) such
mediums is clear and indisputable. Even though Buddhists know
others ‘borrow’ the statuses of Buddhist enlightened beings for
medium practices, it does not mean this is agreeable. As these
great beings originate from Buddhism, all should learn its true
teachings to know what they really stand for.
The more one frequents mediums, the further one digresses from
the path to Buddhahood. There would be greater refuge in gods and
ghosts than in the ‘Teacher of humans and gods’ (and ghosts and all
other beings). One might be asked to do practices against the
Dharma too, such as animal sacrifice, which creates negative karma,
aggravating existing problems. With possible addiction to medium
advice for life’s issues instead of learning and applying the
Dharma, this can stunt growth of personal wisdom. Most importantly,
even if the advice is somewhat
helpful, it does not lead to liberation, as gods and ghosts
themselves are still trapped in the rounds of rebirth. With
much proximity to mediums, especially those with access to real
ghosts, the devotee’s karmic affinity with them might deepen, to
further associate with them when being reborn.
Since summoned beings are unenlightened, they have greed, hatred
and delusion to some extent. This means there might be a price to
pay if their wrath is incurred, or if their expectations are not
met. Praying to enlightened Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, there is no
such problem. Since consultation of mediums does not ensure ideal
results, and might even be dangerous, Buddhists stay clear of them.
What is the alternative for those who wish to ‘look for’ deceased
ones? As stated in the Ksitigarbha Sutra (地藏经), one can ask the Buddha, who has perfect
compassion and wisdom, for help, before sincerely being mindful of
his name. Connecting to his blessings, inspired answers will
arise in the mind or in a dream so vivid that one will know
it is not imagined. Mindfulness of the Dharma for diligent practice
helps us much in everyday life too.
In Tibetan Buddhism, although some masters are believed by
disciples to be manifestations of the enlightened, they never
personally claim so. Even H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, the most
popular Tibetan Buddhist teacher, when asked if he is Guanyin
Bodhisattva, says he is just ‘a simple monk’. If one comes across
‘teachers’ with repeated use of self-proclaimed titles of being
such and such an enlightened being, or as a special earthly
representation, it is best to keep far away. All authentic Buddhist teachers would follow the
Buddha’s advice to attract the interested through the Dharma
itself, not through such dubious marketing, which
unfortunately easily attracts those uninformed of the Surangama
teaching. Regarded as a ‘demon-reflecting mirror’ that reveals
those affected by inner and/or outer demons, it must be used for
self-reflection and for checking the integrity of ‘teachers’.
There are many kinds of false
teachers riding on the name of Buddhism for easy gain of
popularity. Some use many Buddhist terms and even speak of
Buddhist sutras, mantras, meditation and such – for luring in
nominal or new Buddhists who are vaguely familiar with them, to
look credible, while reinterpreting them with self-concocted
twists, throwing in non-Dharma in the mix that deviates from the
real deal. This makes their teachings different, as if of a new
tradition with exclusive ‘benefits’, while they are corrupting the
actual teachings. Anything that radically differs from what the
Buddha and great ancient Buddhist masters taught is almost always
erroneous. Some claim to have special powers, such as being able to
recall devotees’ past lives for advising accordingly – when these
stories cannot be verified at all. This is how they stay off the
hook.
They play mind games, making wide
and thus safe guesses to suggest having predictive power, getting
devotees to publicise only right guesses. Any open display
of supernormal powers, not that they are real in the case of false
teachers, that especially fosters the ego and distracts others from
the true Dharma is forbidden by the Buddha. Those who display them
are not true Buddhists. Pretending to be able to heal some is one
of the easiest ways to attract crowds. But if one is so capable,
why not directly visit hospitals? Any even true physical healing
does not lead to good rebirths or liberation from rebirth anyway.
The Buddha was thus focused on being a spiritual; not a physical
doctor, as death is inevitable. That said, practice of the Buddha’s
true teachings can lead to natural healing due to eradication of
negative karma that causes illness.
With their bursting egos, false teachers tend to sell themselves
through others, as being the ‘best’ teachers available. With heavy
international marketing, they can easily gather many of the
faithful but deluded. Some use planted or incomplete ‘testimonials’
of those who ‘had’ semi-imaginary ‘healing’ effects with their
‘assistance’ to attract more. The more lavish packaging there is,
the more should all be alert. The
biodata of false teachers is also usually elaborate but upon closer
look, is vague and untraceable to reputable and still existing
people and institutions in the Buddhist community. Some
appear monastic or even pseudo-monastic, especially those without a
recognised lineage, or with one that disowned them. Some are
established in worldly life, and tap upon this for popularising
themselves as ‘Buddhist teachers’ – when these factors are not
connected at all.
Some create spurious awards to praise and promote themselves.
Some claim to have had special private instructions from late great
teachers, so as to lean on their fame, while appearing to be their
top disciples taking up the mantle. Some create fake histories
through detailed (auto)biographies by their ‘devotees’, with
outlandish claims of their ‘supernormal powers’ and ‘enlightened’
experiences, which cannot be proven. While ensuring such tall tales circulate, they
cunningly pretend to be ‘humble’. Some even claim to have
met the ‘enlightened’, who ‘endorsed’ them, which makes them their
‘equivalent’ or their ‘messengers’. Such ways of promoting the
so-called ‘Dharma’, focusing on personal claims is wrong as the
Buddha taught us to rely on the Dharma, instead of any personality.
If a person is relied on in excess, one can easily be misled
eventually.
How do the truly enlightened manifest in our world then? A great
example would be Great Master Yinguang (1861-1940). Despite living
a truly humble and frugal life, he was so awe-inspiring in conduct
and instruction, that adheres strictly to the Buddha’s teachings,
that he was posthumously conferred as the 13th Patriarch of the
Pure Land Tradition by the Buddhist world, while being revealed to
be a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta [Dashizhi; Great Power
Arrived] Bodhisattva. Never flashy, yet he remains prominent in his
influence as an outstanding teacher. Remember – even the Buddha, who announced his true and full
enlightenment, did not keep harping on his status, and let the
worth of his actions and teachings speak for themselves.
Egoistic imposters however, seek more attention for deluded
reasons. Their demons are all clearly reflected in the great mirror
of the Surangama Sutra!
Even helpful humans, gods and ghosts
who have yet to take refuge
in perfect Buddhas, Dharma and Aryasangha
have yet to truly realise their worth.