There aren’t that many fundamental, or root, principles of Dhamma. The Buddha said that his teaching is “a single handful.” A passage in the Samyutta-Nikaya makes this clear.

While walking through the forest, the Buddha picked up a handful of fallen leaves and asked the monks who were present to decide which was the greater amount, the leaves in his hand or all the leaves in the forest.

Of course, they all said that there were many more leaves in the forest, and that the difference was beyond comparison. Try to imagine the truth of this scene; clearly see how huge the difference is. The Buddha then said that, similarly, those things which he had realized were a great amount, equal to all the leaves in the forest.

However, that which was necessary to know, those things which should be taught and practiced, were equal to the number of leaves in his hand.

From this, it can be seen that, compared to all the myriad things in the world, the root principles to be practiced for the complete extinction of dukkha amount to a single handful. We must appreciate that this single handful is not a huge amount; it’s not something beyond our capabilities to reach and understand.

This is the first important point that we must grasp if we want to lay the foundation for a correct understanding of the Buddhist teachings.

We must understand the word “Buddhism” correctly. These days, that which is labeled as Buddhism or the Buddha’s teaching is a very nebulous thing, because it is so extensive that it has no limit or definition. In the Buddha’s time, a different word was used. The word was “Dhamma,” which specifically referred to the Dhamma (or teaching) that quenches dukkha.

The Dhamma of the Buddha was called “Samana Gotama’s Dhamma.” The Dhamma of another sect, say that of Nigantha Nataputta, would be called “Nigantha Nataputta’s Dhamma.” One who liked a particular Dhamma would try to study until he understood it, and then he would practice accordingly.

The Buddha’s Dhamma was genuine and pure Dhamma, without trappings, without any of the numerous things that have come to be associated with it in later times. Now we call those trappings “Buddhism.”

Due to our carelessness, Buddhism has become so nebulous that it now includes many things that were originally foreign to it.

You should observe that there is Buddhism, and then there are the things associated with Buddhism. These latter things are endless in number and variety, yet we mix them up with the former and call it all “Buddhism.”

The real Buddhist teachings alone are already abundant, as many as all the leaves in the forest. But that which has to be studied and practiced is a mere handful. Nowadays, we include those things that are merely associated with the teachings, such as the history of the religion or explanations of the psychological aspects of the teachings.

Take the Abhidhamma (“Higher Dhamma”): some parts of it have become psychology, and some parts philosophy. It’s continually expanding to fulfill the requirements of those disciplines.

In addition, there are many further offshoots, so that the things associated with Buddhism have become exceedingly numerous. They have all been swept together under the single term “Buddhism,” so that it has become an enormous subject.

If we don’t know how to take hold of the essential points, we will think there are too many, and we won’t be able to choose between them. It will be like going into a shop that sells a great variety of goods and being at a loss as to what to buy. So we just follow our common sense—a bit of this, a bit of that, as we see fit.

Mostly, we take things that agree with our defilements (kilesa), rather than letting ourselves be guided by mindfulness and wisdom. Then, spiritual life becomes a matter of superstition, of rites and rituals, and of making merit by rote or to ensure against some kind of fear; and there is no contact with real Buddhism.

Let us know how to separate true Buddhism from those things that have merely come to be associated with it and included under the same name. Even in the teachings themselves, we must know how to distinguish the root principles, or essential points.

Ajahn Buddhadasa (1906-1993)

Source – Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree – The Buddha’s Teaching on Voidness Buddhadhasa Bhikkhu

Perhaps we should begin at the beginning, where Buddhadhasa starts with the fundamental principles in the first chapter of this teaching, because in the above piece, he alludes to the handful of teachings that are all we need, but what are they? A good place to pause for us, as it is always refreshing to first consider on our own what that handful represents.

So, what does come to mind first? The Four Noble Truths? The teaching on the Three Poisons: anger, greed, and delusion? The practice of meditation at the core? Being caught up in the sense of an “I?”

To call something “a fundamental principle of Buddhism” is only correct if, first, it is a principle that aims at quenching dukkha (pain, misery, suffering) and, second, it has a logic that one can see oneself without having to believe others.

To step back and return to the foundation principles and see what have become side paths in Buddhism is one way to get at the heart of the teachings and requires a pause to investigate just this beginning.

After that silence and pause, what leaves are there in your hand?

Watching the flowering apricot,
Elana, Scribe for Daily Zen