“Isn’t it something that humans should naturally do, to set out on a journey to seek the
ultimate truth?” I asked.

“Yes… everyone who is an ascetic, a monk, or someone who knows they are in the midst
of suffering and is seeking liberation from suffering, all use the same method: seeking
refuge or seeking reliance on external things. And this is the answer to my earlier
statement that the Buddha taught something strange compared to what most people
taught at that time.”

“The core of the truth that the Buddha brought at that time was like declaring freedom
for everyone, saying that from now on, they no longer needed to rely on anyone else,
not on rituals, situations, or times, nor on any external knowledge. The Buddha came
to reveal the secret that everyone can rely on themselves, can discover the ultimate
truth by themselves: ‘knowing by oneself,’ or what you call ‘enlightenment,’ which
everyone can achieve through a state called accessing the Buddhahood within
themselves. They only need to realize that they ‘are’ already Buddhas. Therefore, they
don’t need to rely on anyone else, not even the Buddha himself.

He set an example by saying that he was now ‘a Buddha,’ so he came to tell everyone to
‘be a Buddha as he is.’ If anyone listened to what the Buddha said and could
understand it, they could attain the truth immediately, regardless of gender, age, social
class, or education. Everyone had equal rights. This was the strangeness in his teaching
method because at that time, learning had to go through education, through vast
amounts of knowledge, with tests, evaluations, and promotions in stages according to
the level of knowledge. The Buddha’s method had no stages and was timeless,” he
added.

“Timeless?” I asked, because this word made me feel excited.

“That is, there is no need to accumulate knowledge, no need to take exams to climb the
ranks, no need to wait for it to ripen like a fruit that needs time. Anyone who
understands this principle can attain it immediately. And when they reach that state,
they will know directly or tell themselves that they ‘know’ by themselves,” he replied.

“How is knowing directly different from learning? Could you elaborate on this further?”
I asked.

“Try to imagine with me. Suppose there is a vast and desolate land. Everywhere you
look, there is only barrenness and scarcity. Many people live in that land, and they have
lived there for so long that they have become accustomed to it. One day, someone
comes and tells them that there is another land, as different from theirs as heaven is
from earth, because there, there is only abundance and peace. So, they all set out to
find that place. But when they arrive, they find a tall, white wall standing majestically
in front of them, blocking their way. It is a wall that cannot be crossed because when
they look up, it is so high that they cannot see the end, and when they look to the left and right, it stretches so far that they cannot see the end. And this wall has no entrance
at all.”

“They noticed that near the wall, there were people dressed strangely, standing in
various spots. Some wore long cloaks, some wore oddly shaped hats, some had
ornaments that indicated honor or special status, while others wore no clothes, had
long, tangled hair, and were covered in mud. Each of them had their own unique
characteristics and styles. For example, some held thick books, reading aloud, while a
number of other people held the same kind of books and read along. Some stood on a
platform higher than others and spoke about something. When asked, they learned
that these strangely dressed individuals were all telling and explaining what was
behind the wall, what it was like. Some said that inside there was only happiness and
joy, some said that there were only abundant fruits and grains, more than could ever be
used, and some said that there were strange animals that they had never seen before.”

“The people who sat listening to their stories or reading the texts that had been
recorded in books were all delighted and excited to have the opportunity to know what
was behind the wall. Some could imagine it. They all praised the people who told them
these stories, saying that they were clever and could explain things in great detail,
making it so vivid that it brought them joy.”

“It seemed that everyone had completely forgotten their initial intention for coming
here, and they were no longer interested in going there. Instead, they focused on the
stories that these people told them. Until one person, amidst the crowd engrossed in
listening to the stories of the world behind the wall, suddenly had a thought: ‘What are
we doing? Why are we interested in what they are saying?’ Then he stopped listening,
stopped reading, stopped relying on others, and turned to rely on himself. He began by
asking and answering his own questions: ‘How can I get inside there?’ And as soon as
he had a strong desire to see it for himself, the wall, which was just an illusion,
immediately disappeared. The place of abundance appeared. At that very moment, he
knew directly what it was like inside. He no longer needed any explanations. What he
experienced was real, a genuine experience. Now he realized that he no longer needed
to pay attention to what anyone else said. Now he had experienced that fullness for
himself. The barrenness and scarcity were gone. It was a world of peace, the noble
wealth that everyone seeks but never finds because it is hidden within.”

“When he fully realized that truth, he thought he should tell everyone about it, starting
by encouraging everyone to stop relying on the stories of others and return to using
their own abilities,” he emphasized.

“It sounds like what the Buddha taught was very simple, wasn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes… it is simple in the eyes of those who do not cling to knowledge, but it will be very
difficult for those who cling to what they already know, especially clinging to the belief
that what they know is the most correct. Because knowledge is a process that prevents
them from seeing their true potential and is an obstacle that keeps them from using
their own abilities. What the Buddha taught is not knowledge, but a method to enter
‘knowing’ through direct realization.”

Therefore, the Buddha said that knowledge is as abundant as the leaves in the forest,
but what he taught is only a handful of leaves. Just by putting this method into practice
and achieving results, it is equivalent to knowing or directly realizing unlimited
knowledge. Those who follow this method will be certain and confident by themselves
because they have directly experienced it,” he explained.

“If it’s that easy, why are there still so many people who don’t know about this?” I
asked.