Reside with The Teachings as Your Refuge

But have I not already declared, Ānanda, that we must be parted, separated, and severed from all who are dear and agreeable to us?

How, Ānanda, is it to be obtained here: ‘May what is born, come to be, conditioned, and subject to disintegration not disintegrate!’? That is impossible.

Therefore, Ānanda, reside with yourselves as your own island, with yourselves as your own refuge, with no other refuge; reside with The Teachings as your island, with The Teachings as your refuge, with no other refuge.

And how, Ānanda, does a Monk reside with himself as his own island, with himself as his own refuge, with no other refuge; with The Teachings as his island, with The Teachings as his refuge, with no other refuge?

Here, Ānanda, a Monk resides reflecting on the body as body,

He resides reflecting on feelings as feelings,

He resides reflecting on mind as mind,

He resides reflecting on mental objects as mental objects, dedicated, clearly

comprehending, mindful, having removed craving and displeasure in regard

to the world.

Those Monks, Ānanda, either now or after I am gone, who reside with themselves as their own island, with themselves as their own refuge, with no other refuge; who reside with The Teachings as their island, with The Teachings as their refuge, with no other refuge - it is these Monks, Ānanda, who will be for me greatest of those dedicated to the training.

(Reference: DN 16)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares that because he was born, he is subject to death.

In death, The Buddha advises that Practitioners “reside with yourselves as your own island, with yourselves as your own refuge, with no other refuge; reside with The Teachings as your island, with The Teachings as your refuge, with no other refuge”.

This Teaching is widely misunderstood by many who feel this is The Buddha providing guidance that one does not need a Teacher to attain Enlightenment that all they need is The Teachings. This is a gross misunderstanding of what The Buddha is sharing.

Instead, The Buddha is sharing that one should not rely on any others but instead focus on The Path to Enlightenment as an independent journey where one does the work to investigate The Teachings to acquire wisdom.

There is plenty of evidence of The Buddha guiding Practitioners to seek guidance with a Teacher. This Teaching is not guiding one to not have a Teacher but instead, do not rely on anyone but instead, actively pursue your own learning and growth.

It is well understood that all Practitioners will need a Teacher. It is only a Buddha who would be able to attain Enlightenment without the guidance of a Teacher. The last Buddha currently known to the world existed over 2,500 years ago.

If it was possible to attain Enlightenment without the guidance of a Teacher, why did The Buddha work for forty-five (45) years of his life dedicated to sharing these Teachings?

If it was possible to attain Enlightenment without the guidance of a Teacher, why didn’t The Buddha attain Enlightenment and just say “Ok, I did it now you guys do it by yourselves”?

If The Buddha was suggesting that a Teacher is not needed, why are there so many references to having a Teacher and seeking guidance from a Teacher in his Teachings?

The truth is, that a Practitioner would be unable to only consult The Teachings in the Pāli Canon and attain Enlightenment. If that is the case, we’d have plenty of Enlightened beings in the world as all one would need to do is read The Pāli Canon to attain Enlightenment. But, we do not have countless Enlightened beings in the world because it is not possible to attain Enlightenment through only reading the text. Each Practitioner will need to seek guidance with a Teacher in order to progress on The Path to Enlightenment.

The Buddha then points to The Four Foundations of Mindfulness as the way for a Practitioner to reside with theirselves as “his own island, with no other refuge; with The Teachings as his island, with The Teachings as his refuge, with no other refuge?”. He guides Practitioners to reside reflecting on body as body (bodily sensations), feelings as feelings, mind as mind (condition of the mind), and mental objects as mental objects being “dedicated, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed craving and displeasure in regard to the world”.

As The Buddha’s life is drawing to a close, he shares that those who cultivate and practice The Four Foundations of Mindfulness as being "greatest of those dedicated to the training”.