What if the first requirement for practicing Buddhism wasn’t a technique, a philosophy, or a revelation—but a person?
In this twenty-ninth installment of Reconciling Zero, we circle back to the heart of the matter—Zero Buddhism. That is: the preconditions necessary for the activity of Buddhism to arise.
Over the last many episodes, we’ve worked carefully through three key preconditions:
A clear picture of the goal of Buddhism (the realization of non-duality)
A clear picture of the path to that goal
A clear understanding of the obstacles expected along the way
So… done, right?
Not quite. Because the Buddha throws us a curveball. In the Tevijja Sutta, he recounts a conversation with Vasettha, a sincere spiritual seeker who, like many of us, has heard all kinds of people claim they know how to reach the divine. But when asked if they’ve actually seen Brahma—well, no. None of them have.
Here’s the analogy: Imagine someone says they want to marry the finest woman in the land… but they don’t know her name, her village, her appearance—nothing. They’ve never met her. Never seen her. They just want her.
The Buddha’s point is razor-sharp: you can’t claim to teach the way to something you’ve never encountered.
Which means our original summary needs a critical update.
Yes, we still need to understand the goal, the path, and the obstacles. But more fundamentally:
We need a teacher who has realized the goal.
Not just someone who can quote sutras, arrange flowers, or use mindfulness apps. We need someone who has seen the far shore—and knows how to get others there.
So the revised First Condition of Zero Buddhism is this:
There can be no Buddhism without an awakened teacher.
No guide, no path. No path, no practice. No practice, no awakening.
And that brings us to the next question:
What exactly makes someone an enlightened teacher?
We’ll unpack that in the next episode.
Until then—consider this your Apollo 13 moment:
It’s not enough to want the far shore. You have to trust someone who’s already been there.
—Jim Redel
Reconciling Zero: Episode 29
