Understanding Internal and External Fools in Buddhism : หน้า 181/207

1) External Fools include non-Buddhists. They are determined to demolish Buddhism, whether they are of other religious affiliations or not. They typically try to cast aspersions upon Buddhist monks. When given the chance, they distort Buddhist teachings, causing misunderstandings and confusion. There are great numbers of this type of fool, who try to demolish Buddhism in their everyday lives. 2) Internal Fools include Buddhists who do not respect the Lord Buddha. They doubt His enlightenment, disrespect His teachings, and disregard the practice of His teachings. They also disrespect the Sangha (monks) who practice righteousness and possess insight. Most importantly, they disrespect the practice of meditation for a peaceful mind. Even when they lack reverence for only part of the Triple Gem,' they become Internal Fools in Buddhism. None of them will ever gain any benefit from being Buddhists. "When these Internal Fools have been disrespectful to the Triple Gem, it is because they do not appreciate the value of Buddhism. As a result, they won't be able to guard themselves against External Fools who develop strategies to attack Buddhism. Because of their irreverence towards the Triple Gem, they do not care for studying Buddhism. Unfortunately, they may become tools for the External Fools. For this reason, we should scrutinize ourselves to see if we 7 The Lord Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha The Warm Hearted Family 361 A True Buddhist