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+## XV. Three-Stage Practice
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+### Three-Stage Practice Is a Co-creation
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+Q: How did the Venerable come to establish the Three-Stage Practice system? What help does it offer for learning Buddhism?
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+A: This is connected with my long-standing approach to propagating the Dharma. I began propagating the Dharma in the 1990s, grounded in Humanistic Buddhism, hoping through it to address real-life issues such as how the Dharma views wealth, environmental protection, and happiness. The Humanistic Buddhism book series represents my long-standing reflections. Because the Dharma truly can solve problems of society and human life, I have spared no effort in propagating it.
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+But the Dharma is as vast as the ocean; every approach has its own scriptures and methods of practice. How, then, should we study it? The key lies in clear goals and correct methods. First, goals must be clear: knowing what to study at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, how far to take each, and setting measurable standards rather than studying something vague or piecemeal. Second, methods must be correct: from the perspective of dependent origination, every result arises from its causes; once we find the right causes and work at that level, the result will follow naturally. In addition, effective guidance and a supportive atmosphere are indispensable. Based on these factors, we gradually developed the Three-Stage Practice system.
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+The process of building it has been like creative work—not my own solitary exploration, but a co-creation by all the volunteers and students. Our product is both this platform and every student within it. In a sense, a person *is* a product. Different ideas, words, actions, and mental states ultimately produce different qualities of life. Today society emphasizes development, but mostly it pursues material development. For each individual, what matters more is what kind of life quality we are developing; this is the most important thing in life. Three-Stage Practice is founded on this core, enabling everyone to grow together through study and practice.
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+### No Approach Can Do Without the Foundation
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+Q: What are the special features of Three-Stage Practice? I practice the Pure Land method; if I join Three-Stage Practice, how should I balance the two?
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+A: Learning Buddhism is a journey from confusion to awakening; this process needs stages, methods, and atmosphere. We have a method called Eight Steps and Three Kinds of Meditation. Following these steps, we can deeply understand the Dharma and transform it into our own outlook, thereby freeing ourselves from unwholesome mental states and repeatedly strengthening wholesome ones, until the wisdom of the Dharma becomes the quality of our own lives. If we apply ourselves, greed, hatred, and delusion will gradually diminish, while mindfulness, reflective awareness, and compassion will grow stronger. This process requires not only effort but also sincerity, earnestness, and honesty. Otherwise the Dharma remains the Dharma and I remain myself; no matter how much we study, it is hard to receive real benefit.
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+The Pure Land method is excellent, but to recite Amitabha Buddha's name with real power is not easy. First we need the renunciation that wishes to leave the Saha world and the bodhicitta that seeks to benefit sentient beings; second, we need right view—recognizing that human life is like an illusion, that samsara is suffering, and that Amitabha Buddha possesses immeasurable merit. Only on this basis can Buddha-recitation become forceful. Many people recite the Buddha's name with their mouths but not their hearts; their faith, aspiration, and practice toward the Pure Land are insufficient, and most of their time is still spent in worldly toil and delusive thinking—how could they practice well?
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+Through Three-Stage Practice we can grasp the outline of the Dharma, gain full confidence in the Three Jewels, and arouse genuine renunciation and bodhicitta; all of this is very helpful for Pure Land practice. As for balancing the two, they are not really in conflict; it is mainly a matter of scheduling. In the short term, participating in study and practice takes time, so it may seem that Buddha-recitation time is reduced. But sharpening the axe does not delay the cutting of firewood: once we have a foundation in mind and conduct, Buddha-recitation will yield twice the result with half the effort.
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+### Grasp the Essentials in Practice
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+Q: The Venerable has put forward the five essential elements of practice and the Three-Stage Practice sequence. What is the ultimate concern of this system? Where does it lead us in the end?
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+A: Modern society has abundant information, which could be an advantage for learning Buddhism, yet when there are too many choices and too little discernment, it becomes a source of confusion. When we face not just one school but the limitless methods of the three great traditions—Theravada, Chinese Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism—along with their various views and practices, we may feel they contradict one another and not know how to choose; or we may feel they all make sense yet be unable to grasp the essentials. In fact, all of this is an obstacle to study and practice.
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+How can we quickly grasp the outline of the Dharma? In my own study I have found that the thousands of scriptures and treatises all point to two paths: the path of liberation and the bodhisattva path. Both have clear directions from starting point, method, and goal. The path of liberation is founded on renunciation and guides us to attain liberation. The bodhisattva path is founded on bodhicitta: not only liberating oneself but also leading sentient beings to liberation. Whichever path we take, it consists of no more than the five essential elements—refuge, aspiration, precepts, right view, and śamatha-vipaśyanā. Standing on these essentials, we know what to master at each stage and what goal to reach.
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+As for where this path leads everyone, it is actually a return to the Buddha's original purpose in appearing in the world. The theme lectures of this retreat present the framework of Buddhist practice through the Four Noble Truths. Where did the Buddha wish to lead sentient beings? He wished to lead them onto the path of liberation, the path of awakening. Our study of Buddhism is precisely a journey along the route the Buddha pointed out.