Do Not Be Deceived by Others
Above all, do not let yourself be deceived and swayed by others.
This claim I now believe and follow — did I verify it myself, or merely take someone's word?
📝Reflection
Linji cried out to his disciples again and again: "Do not be deceived by others." Here deception means not only liars. It includes authoritative voices, majority opinion, even the plausible words of experts. Out of laziness to check for ourselves, or out of loneliness, we easily follow when others say so. Linji warned against that comfortable surrender. See for yourself, judge for yourself — even if the authority is the Buddha. This is no call to reflexive rebellion. It is to pass a thing through yourself once before accepting it. A world seen through another's eyes is, in the end, another's world. Only what I see with my own eyes becomes mine.
🌱Apply It Today
If you are about to accept a decision today because "everyone does it that way," ask just once: "If I check it myself, is it really so?"
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
