One could argue that a person who has never heard of Buddhadharma in fact lives in a world without it, so he or she could in fact be a pratyekabuddha. If this is so, then how would this person's attainment be gauged? We use Buddhist criteria to gauge the level of Buddhist attainment. If such a person claims to be enlightened by Buddhist standards, then likely he or she is not. Since the time of the Buddha, there have been many people ─ scholars, leaders, philosophers ─ who had experiences and who claimed that they were enlightened in the Buddhist sense. They were probably wrong. Their experiences must be judged against the principles of Buddhadharma. The fact is, certain aspects of Buddhism are different from all other religions. Therefore, people who do not have a clear understanding of Buddhadharma will not have Buddhist enlightenment experiences.

STUDENT:

You said that a person who has the correct understanding of Buddhadharma, even without enlightenment, could guide others in their practice. How does one know if one has a correct understanding without the experience to go with it?

SHIH-FU:

If you have a good teacher and are a sincere practitioner, then you ought to be familiar with many principles of Buddhadharma. Much of Buddhism is not too difficult to understand and communicate. Also, you can develop a sound, intellectual understanding of the Dharma through appropriate literature. Armed with such knowledge, you can teach others on a rudimentary level. However, you should not deal with big issues. Obviously, and most importantly, you have no capability of confirming or disavowing someone else's supposed enlightenment experience. I must also stress that if you are intent on teaching others about Buddhism or leading others in meditation, you should first get permission from your teacher. This holds whether you are a lay practitioner or a monastic.