As a teacher, I am often regarded as an authority, and I do have a bit of that quality because I have been steeped in Buddhist teachings for more than a quarter century.   No human could study all Buddhist teachings, though, with so many texts in various languages in the several branches of Buddhism.  Within that massive body of teachings there are many contradictions.  Definitively knowing the ‘correct Buddhism’ isn’t possible for anyone.

In fact, in a Pali sutta, the Buddha said we shouldn’t accept something just because he said it.  We should put teachings into action, and keep following them if they work to reduce the dukkha in our lives.  Buddhism is fundamentally pragmatic.  It’s meant to do something: end suffering.

The Buddha also warned against becoming attached to our practice or ideas.  He compared the teachings to a boat that gets us across a river.   When you get to the other shore, you don’t keep carrying the boat. 

In my experience, various ways of practicing help me for certain periods, and then I need to take up another method to meet my changing circumstances. Fortunately, Buddhism abounds with different practices, especially if you look at all its branches.  Most teachers I know also make use of other wisdom traditions, too.

What, then, do we trust enough to try?  Through the ages, there has remained consistency in the “lists” of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Five Hindrances, etc.  There’s enough help for us in all the lists to make life significantly better, and to lead to enlightenment.

The more we learn about the teachings, the more discernment we naturally acquire about what will or won’t work for us.  It’s important to feel free to try things out, and to trust our intuitive sense about what to try and whether it works.  When in doubt, it’s not hard these days to find a teacher or senior student to ask for advice.

I often teach about aspects of life with few references to Buddhism, although it always frames and informs my words.   In my sanghas, and thousands of others around the world, tested ways to improve life are offered freely in the hope they’ll work for you.