The Tathāgata Is The One Who Shows the Way

The Brāhmin Ganaka Moggallāna asked The Perfectly Enlightened One: ‘When Master Gotama’s disciples are thus advised and instructed by him, do they all attain Nibbāna (Enlightenment), the ultimate goal, or do some not attain it?’

When, Brāhmin, they are thus advised and instructed by me, some of my disciples attain Nibbāna (Enlightenment), the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it.

‘Master Gotama, since Nibbāna (Enlightenment) exists and the path leading to Nibbāna exists and Master Gotama is present as the guide, what is the cause and reason why, when Master Gotama’s disciples are thus advised and instructed by him, some of them attain Nibbāna, the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it?’

As to that, Brāhmin, I will ask you a question in return. Answer it as you choose. What do you think, Brāhmin? Are you familiar with the road leading to Rājagaha?

‘Yes. Master Gotama, I am familiar with the road leading to Rājagaha.’

What do you think, Brāhmin? Suppose a man came who wanted to go to Rājagaha, and he approached you and said: ‘Venerable Sir, I want to go to Rājagaha. Show me the road to Rājagaha.’

Then you told him: Now, good man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Follow it for a while and you will see a certain village, go a little further and you will see a certain town, go a little further and you will see Rājagaha with its lovely parks, groves, meadows, and ponds. Then, having been thus advised and instructed by you, he would take a wrong road and would go to the west.

Then a second man came who wanted to go to Rājagaha, and he approached you and said: ‘Venerable Sir, I want to go to Rājagaha.’ Then you told him: Now, good man, this road goes to Rājagaha. Follow it for a while and you will see a certain village, go a little further and you will see a certain town, go a little further and you will see Rājagaha with its lovely parks, groves, meadows, and ponds. Then, having been thus advised and instructed by you, he would arrive safely in Rājagaha.

Now, Brāhmin, since Rājagaha exists and the path leading to Rājagaha exists and you are present as the guide, what is the cause and reason why, when those men have been thus advised and instructed by you, one man takes a wrong road and goes to the west, and one arrives safely in Rājagaha?

‘What can I do about that, Master Gotama? I am one who shows the way.’

So too, Brāhmin, Nibbāna (Enlightenment) exists and the path leading to Nibbāna exists and I am present as the guide. Yet when my disciples have been thus advised and instructed by me, some of them attain Nibbāna, the ultimate goal, and some do not attain it.

What can I do about that, Brāhmin?

The Tathāgata is one who shows the way.

(Reference: MN 107)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he helps a Brāhmin understand why not all of his Students attain Enlightenment. As it might be thought that everyone who learned, reflected, and practiced The Teachings directly with a Perfectly Enlightened One would attain Enlightenment. But this is not true and would be permanence while we know that would not exist based on The Universal Truth of Impermanence.

Notice how The Buddha skillfully asks the Brāhmin questions to guide the Brāhmin to his own answer. Rather than just giving someone an answer to a question they have asked, oftentimes it is better to ask well thought out and well placed questions to guide a person to answering their own question. This way, it is like the individual is teaching themselves.

An individual will be more likely to listen to their own logic and understanding to teach themselves rather than accepting the logic and understanding of another person. If the individual already has the wisdom to answer the question, they do not need to believe what you are sharing but instead, they can see “true reality” through well thought out and well placed questions guiding an individual to a helpful answer through interactive discussion.

You might choose to use this approach with friends, children, co-workers, employers, or anyone whom you need to guide to understanding your logic in solving a certain challenge.

This Teaching also helps us to understand how the success of one’s own attainment of Enlightenment is not necessarily based purely on the guidance of the Teacher but, in fact, developing one’s life practice is an independent pursuit. While a Practitioner will need guidance from a Teacher, each individual Practitioner would need to understand what they are looking to develop in their practice and seek the appropriate guidance.

Then, once guidance is provided, a Student would need to learn, reflect, and practice The Teachings diligently seeking any follow up guidance to ensure understanding.

Since not all Students of even a Perfectly Enlightened Buddha would attain Enlightenment, then we know one of the primary determining factors of whether one does or does not attain Enlightenment is based on the Students’ own determination and diligence to learn, reflect, and practice The Teachings as an independent practice while seeking guidance.

A Teacher can only show the way to Enlightenment. A Teacher cannot give a Student Enlightenment nor hold their hand on the journey to Enlightenment. Instead, a Student will need to apply their own patience and endurance to “never give up” continuing to walk the path with The Buddha. And, if a Student feels lost, they should let the Teacher know they feel lost so they can continue their journey.

A Teacher should be holding the light to illuminate The Path to Enlightenment assisting the Student out of the darkness to be able to more clearly see the path. But the Student will need to develop their own light so that they can more readily walk the path through improved decision making.

This Teaching can also be beneficial for parents, employers, community leaders or anyone who is guiding individuals in life. This Teaching can help you understand that your goal is not to make decisions for your children, employees, friends, family members, life partners, etc. but instead, to provide guidance that will help them in making wise decisions.

As parents, employers, or the other roles we fulfill in life, we cannot control what others do. We cannot give people a list of decisions for exactly what they should or should not do in every situation because every situation is different based on unique circumstances. But we can share wisdom that when understood by our children, employees, or others that they can then apply that wisdom for improved decision making.

So, your goal is not to control people in your life but instead, to provide them guidance that when understood they can, with their own free will, make wise wholesome decisions that lead to wholesome outcomes. You are not going to permanently be with your children, employees, or others in your life. But the wisdom you share to help guide a person’s decision making can reside in the mind and be the guiding light that helps them navigate a challenging world leading to a better way of life.