## XV. Three-Stage Practice

### Three-Stage Practice Is a Co-creation

Q: How did the Venerable come to establish the Three-Stage Practice system? What help does it offer for learning Buddhism?

A: This goes back to my long-standing approach to propagating the Dharma. I began propagating the Dharma in the 1990s, grounded in Humanistic Buddhism, hoping to use it to address real-life issues like how the Dharma looks at wealth, environmental protection, and happiness. The Humanistic Buddhism book series grows out of those reflections. Because the Dharma really can solve the problems we face in society and in life, I have spared no effort to propagate it.

But the Dharma is vast as the ocean; every approach has its own scriptures and ways of practice. So how should we study it? It comes down to clear goals and correct methods. First, goals must be clear: know what to study at the elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, how far to take each, and set measurable standards rather than studying something vague or piecemeal. Second, methods must be correct: from the perspective of dependent origination, every result comes from its causes; once we find the right causes and work at the level of causes, the result will follow naturally. In addition, we need effective guidance and a supportive atmosphere. That's how we gradually developed the Three-Stage Practice system.

Building it has been like a creative work—not me exploring alone, but a co-creation by all the volunteers and students. Our product is both this platform and every student in it. In a sense, each person is a product. Different ideas, words, actions, and states of mind ultimately shape the quality of our lives. Today society talks a lot about development, but mostly it means material development. For each of us, what matters more is what kind of life quality we are developing; this is the most important thing in life. Three-Stage Practice is built around this core, so everyone can grow together through study and practice.

### No Approach Can Do Without the Foundation

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?

A: Learning Buddhism is a journey from confusion to awakening; this process needs stages, methods, and the right atmosphere. We have a method called the Eight Steps and Three Kinds of Meditation. Following these steps, we can deeply understand the Dharma and transform it into our own outlook, freeing ourselves from unwholesome mental states and strengthening wholesome ones again and again, 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, contemplative power, and compassion will grow stronger. This takes not only effort but also sincerity, earnestness, and honesty. Otherwise the Dharma stays as the Dharma and we stay as we are; no matter how much we study, it is hard to receive real benefit.

The Pure Land method is excellent, but to recite Amitabha Buddha's name with real strength is not easy. First we need the wish to leave the Saha world and the bodhicitta 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 has immeasurable merit. Only on this basis can Buddha-recitation become effective. Many people recite the Buddha's name with their lips but not their hearts; their faith, aspiration, and practice toward the Pure Land are not strong enough, and most of their time is still spent in worldly worries and delusive thinking—how could they practice well?

Through Three-Stage Practice we can grasp the outline of the Dharma, develop deep confidence in the Three Jewels, and awaken 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 about how you arrange your time. In the short term, studying and practicing here takes time, so it may seem that Buddha-recitation time is reduced. But sharpening the axe first makes the cutting easier: once you have a foundation in mind and conduct, Buddha-recitation will become far more effective.

### Grasp the Essentials in Practice

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?

A: Modern society has so much information, which should be a good thing for learning Buddhism, yet when there are too many choices and not enough judgment, it becomes a source of confusion. When we face not just one school but the countless 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.

How can we quickly grasp the outline of the Dharma? In my own study I have found that all the scriptures and commentaries point to two paths: the path of liberation and the bodhisattva path. Both have clear directions in terms of starting point, method, and goal. The path of liberation starts with renunciation and leads to liberation. The bodhisattva path starts with bodhicitta: not only liberating ourselves but leading sentient beings to liberation. Whichever path we take, it comes down to the five essential elements—refuge, aspiration, precepts, right view, and Samatha and Vipassana. With these essentials in place, we know what to master at each stage and what goal to reach.

As for where this path leads us, 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 want to lead sentient beings? He wanted to lead them to the path of liberation, the path of awakening. Our study of Buddhism is simply a journey along the route the Buddha pointed out.