The Vessel of Dhamma

 The Vessel of Dhamma

The Dhamma is like a brimming vessel: nothing more is required to fill it, and any addition will be at the sacrifice of what the vessel already contains. 

Often the urge to add may be well-intentioned, in the hope of making the Dhamma more attractive to people of various backgrounds. “What harm is there in adding something which is itself good?” someone may ask. Understand: the harm is that the Dhamma will eventually be relegated to the background and forgotten. Additions may offer mundane benefits, but the goal of Dhamma is supramundane: liberation from suffering. Something may be harmless in itself but it becomes most dangerous if it causes us to lose sight of this goal. 

Equally insidious are moves to abridge the Dhamma in any way. Again the intention may be good: to avoid offence to people who might find aspects of the teaching hard to accept. 

Against such urgings we must recall that the Dhamma was not devised to suit any particular set of views; it is the Law of Nature, rediscovered by the master Teacher 2500 years ago. Every part of it is needed to lead on to the final goal. Omitting an aspect that some find controversial— whether sīla, samādhi, or paññā—may be a way to curry favor, but what is that worth if the efficacy of the Teaching is lost? We seek not popularity but liberation for ourselves and others. 

Given a bowl of nectar, someone cries, “It is too sour!” Another says, “It would be sweeter with a little sugar.” Very well, mix a little sugar with it; there is no harm in doing so. But if the next time the bowl is offered, more sugar is added, and more every time, eventually the taste of nectar will be lost. Then people will mix together sugar and water, and drink that mixture calling it nectar, and wonder why their thirst is not slaked. So with the nectar of the Dhamma: imbibe it in its pure form, without any alteration, in order truly to benefit from it. 

Words are only words; to attract others to the Dhamma, far more useful is the example you set by your way of life. Therefore the great Teacher said, Brahmacariyapakāsetha: be a shining example of the Dhamma by applying it yourself. This is the best way to encourage others to practice it. 

Goenkaji (Annual Meeting, VIA, 1989)

http://news.dhamma.org/wp-content/uploads/1989-16-2-VNL-en-A4.pdf