By Great Dharma Master Ou I

Translated by Dharma Master Lok To 
Edited by Dr. Frank G. French

Click here for another article about Master Ou I, written by J.C. Cleary

Great Dharma Master Ou I once said, "To leave home and seek the Tao of Bodhi, you must generate your True Mind."  To make the Buddhists of his time and those of future Sanghas aware, he said, "If one holds the Discipline firmly and sincerely to end the cycle of birth and death, then this holding of the Discipline can lead him to Enlightenment.  If the practicing of Chπan is really done to end the cycle of birth and death, then this practicing of Chπan can lead one to Enlightenment.  If one concentrates on and practices Dharma, then one achieve Enlightenment.  If people help and support each other, they can, thereby, also achieve Enlightenment.  All of the foregoing holds true because the causal ground is real and sincere."

In contrast, the Master also said, "If one wants to become a Vinaya master merely to hold the Discipline or if one wants to become a Dharma master merely to listen to the Sutras or if one wants to become a Chπan master merely to investigate and practice Chπan or if one wants to develop various supernatural powers merely to create blessings for himself, then holding the Discipline, listening to the Sutras, investigating and practicing Chπan and developing superantural powers are all activities of the three evil paths."

Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, 1987